Heroes For Hire: The Movie
by capyle
Summary: A prose form of a fan script. Following the events of the Iron Fist and Luke Cage "films", the two heroes must join forces after their friend and business partner is the target of a rogue military officer who wishes to create the next line of super soldiers. Will they put their differences aside and wortk together? Well, yeah of course, but it will still be fun to watch anyway.
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE: This story follows the events of _Iron Fist: The Movie_ and _Luke Cage: Hero For Hire (The Movie)_. While this story stands on its own, reading those previous stories might deliver a better sense of continuity.**

A small private plane flies over Chinese mountains. The engines give out and it plummets. A young Danny Rand watches as his mother and the plane fall into the darkness, "Danny!". The mystical city of K'un L'un materializes behind him. He turns and sees two monks peering down over him. Danny Rand practices martial arts alongside other children in K'un L'un. He is brought to the shrine of Shaou-Lao as an adult. He palces his hands in the shrine as he hears his mentor's words, "The power of the Iron Fist will never leave you." The symbol of the ancient dragon appears on his chest. He then stands in ceremonial K'un L'un attire. His fist ignites with chi energy and he strikes with an explosive punch.

**Daniel Rand, the Iron Fist...**

A young Carl Lucas breaks into a man's apartment alongside Willis Stryker. The owner of the apartment turns on the light and Lucas turns his attention. Cops pin him down as they arrest him not far away and then he is standing in front of a judge, "Carl Lucas, the jury finds you guilty." The warden slides a piece of paper toward him, "There's a rehabilitation program for medical research." Carl is strapped to a gurney with canisters inserted into his arms. Nanobots are drained through the tubes into his body. He screams as his muscles buldge. Next, he is standing in an abandoned warehouse with bullets bouncing off him.

**Luke Cage...**

**HEROES FOR HIRE**

Distant gunshots and explosions...Afghanistan. A small group of Special Ops race through a battle-torn city, dodging enemy fire along the way. The sun is high in the sky, making the situation even hotter and more intense. The four men drop behind a truck parked on the side of the road as bullets fly overhead. The lead soldier strips his helmet off, revealing the face of Mitchell Tanner. Tanner is in his mid-30's, handsome and athletic with brown hair and blue eyes: the posterboy for American military might. He pokes his head around the front of the truck to get a better view but ducks back once he sees a flare from across the street. A moment later, the headlight next ot his head is shattered. One of his men disconnects the digital parascope from his rifle and holds it above the back window of the truck, getting a good look across the road.

"How many are out there?," Tanner asks.

"Hard to say, Captain Tanner," the soldier replies, "Wherever they are, they're well hidden."

Tanner turns to a soldier with a radio, "And reinforcements?".

"Air cavalry is unavailable, sir. Ground support is approximately 30 minutes out."

"We're almost surrounded. There's no way they'll get through to our location in time," Tanner peaks over the hood of the truck again. He spots a bombed out and abandoned building nearby and sinks back down, "You see the two-story building to our left? We're gonna make a run for it. We'll hole-up in there and fight them off until support arrives. First, we'll secure the ground floor, then sweep through the second floor. Understood?" "Yes, sir," the men respond as they gather their rifles and gear. "Move out!," Tanner rolls out from behind the truck and sprints toward the building with his men following closely behind. Bullets erupt from every direction across the street, narrowly avoiding them as they make their way to the building. Tanner and the first soldier stand on either side of the doorway as the last two rush in, quickly taking point by the busted windows on either sid eof the room. The ground floor has been mostly demolished aside from the walls and a stairwell. With a man at every entrance, Tanner begins to move toward the stairs.

"Stay below and keep the area secured. I'm going topside."

"Are you sure you want to go alone, sir?," one of them asks.

"We don't have much choice," he tells him as he ascends the stairs, "Wait for the all-clear."

"Yes, sir."

Tanner quietly makes his way up the steps to the top floor, which is equally as desolate as the bottom floor. He passes through the main room, and as he passes the doorway of a smaller room, he does not notice the insurgent hiding behind the wall with a knife. The insurgent rushes him from behind and he has just enough time to turn, deflecting the knife strike with his rifle. He turns the rifle around, removing the knife from the insurgent's grip using the bayonet. He spins the rifle back around, striking the man across the face with the butt, staggering him. He presses the attack, jabbing the butt into his ribcage and then into his chin. Once his foe is down, he raises the rifle above his head and plunges it down, bayonet-first. Below, his men wait silently until they hear him shout, "All clear!". One soldier briefly glances at the top floor to acknowledge and turns back to the window.

Across the street, an insurgent races onto the middle of the road with a bazooka on his shoulder. "Take cover!," he shouts and opens fire. He hits the the sinurgent but not before the enemy fires a single rocket, launching it toward the upper floor. Tanner looks up in time to see a missle coming toward the second story window. He turns, throwing himself into the smaller room. The walls explode around him, tossing him into the air and out the opposite window. He smashes through the glass, falling helplessly. From his point-of-view, the last thing he sees is the hard ground.


	2. Chapter 2

**Three Months Later...**

A morning alarm goes off. Luke Cage sits up in bed and rubs his eyes before hitting it. He takes a shower, makes some toast with jam, and heads out the door as he finishes breakfast. He strolls through Harlem, gradually leaving his neighborhood, passing a small group of young men on the way. "What's up, Cage?," one of them calls out. Cage smiles and nods to them, "What's going on, fellas?" before crossing some tracks to the worst part of Harlem. As he goes down the block, he passes two men huddled against a wall, whispering. Once they see Cage approach, they quickly part ways and walk off in separate directions; one of them muttering a brief, "Not today, man." Cage chuckles a little to himself as he continues, knowing that whatever they were up to, they're not up to it any longer. He then makes his way to a dark area below an underpass.

It's a concrete cave: a no man's land of filth and decay hidden under a massive slab of granite. The walls are covered in gang tags and graffiti. Several young men sit around, drinking and talking quietly until they notice the shadowy figure entering their domain. It's an area that is apparently well-known but few are brave enough to enter. The men wear dark colors and most of them have a black spade tattooed below their left eye. Cage confidently strides forward, ignoring them while checking the picture in the breast pocket of his jacket. The picture is of a teenage boy; roughly ten years younger than Cage. He looks up, noticing the teen at the farthest end, sitting on a dirty mattress along with a few other men, smoking. Since he is apparently a younger member of this gang, he has not gotten enough experience to earn a tattoo.

"Hey, you Reggie Gardner?," he asks as he approaches.

Reggie shoots to his feet, several of the young men standing along with him, "Yeah, who the hell are you?".

"I'm the guy that's gonna take you back home. Your family's worried about you, man. Let's go. C'mon."

"Man, I ain't go'n nowhere!"

"Afraid it's not up to you," the other men slowly surround Cage as he speaks, "Your parents made the call." The men get closer to him so he decides to notice them. He turns to his left and right, raising a single eyebrow as they crowd around, "Can I help you boys with something?" One of the leaders lightly taps a 9MM on his shoulder as he stares Cage down. "Oh, guess ya'll don't recognize me," Cage turns to face them, "I'm Luke Cage. Sound familiar?" One of the gang members raises his hands above his head and quickly turns away, "Ah, hell no!," and promptly exits the area. The other gang members stare in disbelief as he goes. "Hey," the leader shouts after him but the man waves him off and shakes his head as he leaves. Cage watches with mock-sadness, "And there goes the only other person in this joint with any sense. Now I just feel lonely." The gang leader shoves his 9MM in his face; point blank. Cage sighs as he stares down the barrell, "Here. Lemme show you why that won't work," he snatches the gun out of his hand, shows it to the crowd, and slams his fist against it. Half of it shatters like glass with casual ease, spooking everyone as they step back. The leader stares in disbelief as Cage hands him what is left, "Oh, here. You want this back?" He raises the small bit of metal in his hand but the gang leader quickly backs away as he comes close, "Go on. Take it. What's the matter?" The leader and his gang rush out of the area, "It's cool man. It's cool," leaving Cage and Reggie. Cage shrugs and tosses the broken metal into a nearby gutter. Soon, Reggie is snatched by the collar of his jacket and dragged out into the street. "You're lucky I found you before you got one of those stupid-looking tattoos," Cage scolds him, "Now, come on. Your mom's been asking about you!"

Later that afternoon, Cage arrives at a residence in Harlem, a middle aged woman answers the door, giving a brief smile to Cage and turns toward Reggie. "Boy, get in here," she pulls the teen into the home and slaps him across the backside. He storms through the livingroom without saying a word and slams his bedroom door behind him. The mother turns to Cage, "Oh, thank you so much for bringing him back home."

"No problem, ma'am," he tells her with a smile.

The father comes to the door to shake his hand, "Thanks a lot, Mr. Cage. Y'know, we try our best with Reggie but he just won't listen."

"Kids around here can be stubborn. Don't give up on `im."

"So how much do I owe you?"

"Oh, no sir. I can't accept your money."

"Now, c'mon man, I know you probably don't make the bank you used to now that you work privately."

"It's fine, sir. Really."

"Tell you what," the mother interrupts, "Have you had dinner?"

"No ma'am."

"So have dinner with us. Think you could accept that?"

"Yeah,... Sounds real good, ma'am. Thank you."

Later, he walks back to his neighborhood. He stops by an ATM and slides his bank card into the machine; he checks how much money is in his account and learns he only has $135. He sighs and continues on his way.

Meanwhile, in the Rand Corporation headquarters, Danny Rand examines the notes in his hands nervously. He sits in a meeting room in a New York highrise, wearing an expensive suit and is surrounded by other business men sitting around a large table. The chairman addresses him, "Mr. Rand?" He looks up from his notes sheepishly. "Daniel, I believe you have a presentation for us?," he asks. Danny rises to his feet, "Um, yes... Sorry," he takes another look at his notes again before he walks to the front of the room. There, he awkwardly motions to a mock-up of a medical facility.

"I believe the Rand Corporation would benefit greatly if we extended our interests into medical research," he begins nervously, "We already have a hand in every other technological field so there's no reason why we shouldn't uh,... expand our business further into something that I believe will benefit the public." He looks up and notices one of the board members texting on his phone, "So, uh... I propose that we build a medical facility," he notices that another board member is asleep in his chair, "... in which we could, um..., " and another board member is looking over notes and also not paying attention. Danny sighs, defeated, "... in which we could eat all the pie we wanted." He searches for a reaction from the board but they are quite obviously ignoring him. Frustrated, he continues, "...And fart rainbows." Again, no reaction. "And, of course, we can use these rainbows to find leprechauns who will give us gold so we can buy more pie. Thank you." The men all stand at attention and the chairman gladly shakes his hand, "Great presentation, Daniel. Very engrossing." Danny nods, "Thanks."

Knightwing Restorations. The small private detective agency is quiet now that it's nightime. Danny passes by its sign outside and goes into the building. There, he opens the door and peers inside. It's dark and empty; immediately, Danny knows something isn't right. He was expecting to meet Misty Knight and Colleen Wing but there are no signs of either one of them.

He quietly enters and closes the door behind him, bracing himself for anything. Once he does this, a figure clad entirely in black leaps out of the shadows with a kick. Danny leans back and blocks it, quickly going on the defense as the figure presses the attack, throwing several kicks and punches. He blocks the blows in rapid succession before grabbing a wrist and shoulder-thrusting his attacker onto a nearby couch. Once the first attacker is on the couch, a second one flies in from nowhere and performs a roundhouse kick. Danny ducks underneath it, blocks the second kick that was meant for his head and leans back to avoid the third kick, then positions himself behind his opponent. The figure turns, throwing a sharp elbow which Danny catches just before pushing the figure onto the couch next to its partner. With both figures side by side, Danny clenches his fist menacingly, his outstretched hand, gradually glowing with the power of the Iron Fist which gets brighter and brither until enough light is cast on his attackers to see them clearly. The figures are in black but it is obvious that they are women: they wear masks concealing their identities but the eyeholes give them away. Danny stops and opens his palm, the chi energy disappearing in a golden cloud, then turns on the light, "What are you two doing?"

Colleen Wing and Misty Knight remove their masks. "We wanted to spar a little," Misty pleads with a smile.

"We spar every week," Danny drops into a chair, "Isn't that safer than sneaking up on me?"

"You hold back too much," Colleen sneers.

"I hold back because I don't want to hurt you, Colleen. Which, by the way, could have happened just now. I could have seriously injured either one of you."

"We're tough girls. We can handle it," Misty walks over to Danny and places her arms around him while standing behind his chair, "You don't have to worry so much about hurting us."

"Misty, considering you're my girlfriend, I find it really disturbing that we're having this conversation."

"Danny, you grew up in another dimension," Colleen explains, "You know martial arts techniques that no one else on this planet knows. We're lucky to have you as an instructor. We wanted to know how far we've come. We wanted a real test."

"You could've been tested in a dojo like normal people."

"Who said we were normal?," Misty kisses him on the cheek.

"It's bad when I'm the most down-to-Earth person in this room and yet I'm the one who spent half his life in a magical city," he jokes and kisses Misty back.

"So how's the job?," Colleen asks, "Will you guys get a new medical facility?"

"Doesn't look like it. That company belonged to my parents and when they brought me on board, I thought I would be able to make a few changes. No matter what I say or do, they ignore me. I'm just a figurehead."

Misty comes around and sits on his lap, "I'm sorry baby. You're still new at being a businessman and those guys on the board are more experienced. It might be a while before they take you seriously."

"Well, now I just need to figure out how to get their attention."

"You'll find a way. I know it."


	3. Chapter 3

Mitchell Tanner is back in Afghanistan; he's running alongside his men, bullets flying everywhere as he finds cover in the abandoned building. One of his men warns him of the insurgent with the rocket launcher. He tries to get out the window, but the blast sends him falling to the street below. Then he wakes up in a cold sweat, sitting up in a hospital bed, gasping for air with his wheelchair resting quietly beside him. His Asian American girlfriend, Liu, wakes up in the chair beside him.

"Another bad dream, Mitchell?," she asks thoughtfully.

"Don't worry about it," he sits back in bed, "Just go back to sleep."

She leans over to kiss him, "It'll be alright, Mitch."

He pulls away, "Just go back to sleep."

"Please talk to me. You've been like this ever since you started rehab. I'm trying to help but I don't know what you need. I can't live like this."

He turns over bitterly, "No one's asking you to."

Liu stands up, tears in her eyes, "I'll see you when you get out." She gathers her things and leaves the room. Tanner, meanwhile, closes his eyes tightly in an attempt to put his mind and body to rest.

The next morning, a nurse wheels him out of the hospital. He is in uniform now, looking as dignified as he can. An older man in full military regalia meets him outside. Tanner salutes him with a professional, "Major Barrington, sir". "At ease," the man tells him with a smile, "It's good to see you're healthy, Tanner. We were rooting for you."

"Thank you, sir."

The major leads Tanner through the parking lot, "I'm sorry to hear about your last tour in Afghanistan. You're a fine solider, Tanner. You saved a lot of lives that day. It's too bad you were discharged."

"The use of my legs is just a small price to pay, Major Barrington. My only regret is that I will no longer be able to serve."

"I don't know about that. If I have my way, you'll be on the frontlines as soon as possible."

"Sir?"

"There's a reason why I came out to see you. The brass has recently become aware of technology, allowing people to become stronger and healthier and they believe this process can cure injuries, including paralysis. It would revolutionize the way we fight wars and take care of our own, so they're looking for a few test subjects and I let them know about your situation. They agreed to give you a chance."

"You mean, I could get my legs back?"

"Maybe. We need to talk to a man by the name of Noah Burstein first but otherwise, you're clear to go."

"Sir, I...," Tanner begins to smile.

"Don't go thanking me just yet," Barrington begins, "I'm interested in getting you out of that wheelchair. I've known you since you were stationed in Syria under my command. You're one of our finest soldiers and I intend to get you back in the field. You've done this nation proud and it... upsets me to think that you would be forced into that chair for the rest of your life when the chance of a lifetime is waiting for you. Now, we don't know if the process will work, mind you."

"That's not a problem, sir."

"And I'm not sure what this Dr. Burstein will have to say about the program."

"I'm willing to try, sir."

"Well, then let's see if we can't get you some new legs."

Jessica Jones sits down at a table in a restaurant, "Sorry, I'm late." she says as she leans over and kisses Luke Cage. Cage settles into his chair, "No problem. I know you're busy. Hope you don't mind me ordering for us." The restaurant is small and low-key. A few elderly people sit scattered around the place as waitresses serve them coffee or pie.

"No, I don't mind," Jessica tells him, "So how was your case? Did you find the kid you were looking for?"

"Yeah, I found `im. Brought him back to his folks."

"Did you accept payment this time?"

"No,... but they had me stay for dinner."

"Carl -"

"I legally changed my name, remember," he reminds her.

"Luke, I know you just want to do the right thing but you have to get paid sometime. See if the police need a bounty hunter, or something."

"The cops were under fire for hiring a former convict. They don't need my services anymore. Besides, the crime rate has been going down in New York since last year. Things are quieter."

"And it's because of you. You've done a lot for this city and you don't have a penny to show for it. All that fame and money you once had has dried up. It's just not fair."

"I know, but what can I do? I'd feel like a punk if I accepted money from the hard working folks I'm helping. They're trying to get by too."

"I know, and you're a better man for it," the waitress comes over and sets plates of food in front of them, "Thank you," she tells the waitress before continuing, "Why don't you try something else on the side? Y'know, I talked to Noah Burstein the other day."

"Really? How's he doing?"

"He's doing great. He's in the process of refining his nanobot technology. You should pay him a visit. Maybe he could use your help in the lab."

**The next day, Empire State University...**

Nothing much has changed on campus. Burstein's lab, however, has been upgraded with better equipment now that he has become even more respected in the science field. He leans over a microscope, adjusting it until he sees a nanobot under the slide. This new bot is silver and sleaker than the ones used to create Luke Cage. Burstein looks away from the microscope at the glass vial next to him, which is filled with a silver, metallic substance. The door to his lab slides open and Major Barrington enters the room.

"Professor Noah Burstein, correct?," he asks.

"I am," Burstein stands up and shakes his hand, "And you are...?"

"Major James Barrington. US Special Forces. I apologize for coming unannounced but I've heard of your research and decided to make a personal visit."

"Uh, well I have some time. What can I do for you?"

"Your research in nanotechnology has raised quite a few eyebrows in the Pentagon. Apparently, you can restore damaged cells, making them good as new. As I understand it, this process you've created can even bring someone back from paralysis."

"Ideally, yes. We are still in the development stage."

"From what I hear, Luke Cage was given the same treatment. It's the reason he's as strong and tough as he is today."

"Well,... yes but that wasn't the desired result. Since that time, I've gone back to formula and recreated the nanobots, hopefully eliminating the chance to gain superpowers," he says with a laugh.

Barrington frowns in disappointment, "I see. Well, one of our best men has recently been severly injured in Afghanistan. He's in a wheelchair now and we're hoping to find a way to get him to walk again."

"I'd love to help you. I mean, that is essentially what this process is for but at the moment, I'm still a few years away from the point where I can safely use human test subjects," he motions toward the glass vial on his desk, "As of right now, I'm not sure of the -"

Barrington quickly cuts him off as he walks toward the door of the lab, "The solider is actually with me today. I'd like you to meet him," he opens the door and Mitchell Tanner enters in his wheelchair. "This is Mitchell Tanner. He's been a special forces op for years. Before that, he was a field agent for the CIA. The guy's a real warhawk!"

"A pleasure to meet you, Dr. Burstein," Tanner shakes his hand, "The Major tells me you can fix my legs."

"Uh,... Maybe. In time. I'm sorry gentlemen, but this technology is simply not ready yet."

"Not ready?," Barrington laughs, "This turned some prison convict into a superhero! I'd say it was ready."

"Luke Cage could have died from the overdose of nanos he recieved," Burstein becomes slightly agitated, "He's lucky he survived at all. His superhuman strength and durability was just an unfortunate side effect."

"Unfortunate?," Tanner speaks up, "Seems pretty goddamn fortunate to me! The man is bulletrepoof!"

"Yes. Bulletpoof," Barrington repeats the word, "Dr. Burstein, have you any idea how much the US military would pay for bulletrpoof soldiers?"

Burstein glares at him, "Major, I am not in the business of making soldiers. I am in the business of curing ailments."

"Even if I don't get strong or whatever, just the chance to walk again would be worth it," Tanner growls.

"And that is the sort of thing I'm willing to help you do," Burstein pleads, "I just need you to give me some time."

"Listen, Burstein, we simply want to keep our fighting men and women fit for active duty," Barrington changes his tone, "They have a country to defend."

"It almost seems to me that you want to create super soldiers," then he turns to Tanner, "Mr. Tanner, how long have you been discharged from active duty?"

"About three months."

"You're probably barely out of rehab," he exclaims.

"So?"

"Even if the process was ready, the physical strain would be great. Not to mention... the possible psychological effects. I'm sure what you went through was very traumatic and -"

"You're a scientist, not a shrink," Barrington barks, "Come on, Tanner. Let's leave the good doctor alone. Maybe he'll come to his senses later." Barrington leaves the lab. Tanner stays behind for a moment, glaring at Burstein before following. The scientist sits uneasily in a chair. As Barrington and Tanner pass down the hall, they stop when they see Luke Cage coming from the opposite direction.

"Luke Cage, correct?," Barrington asks.

"Yeah?"

"You're a very fortunate man, Mr. Cage," Barrington sneers as he passes. Cage looks at him, perplexed and then notices Tanner trailing behind who glares at him. Cage shakes his head in bewilderment and continues toward Burstein's lab. He enters with a broad smiles, "Hey, professor. What's up?" Burstein rises ot his feet, now with a smile, "Carl. Good to see you. Wait, I guess you're going strictly by Luke Cage now."

"Yeah, I thought I might as well keep the name. Thought it would be good for business."

"Was it?"

"Nah," he laughs then motions toward the hall, "By the way, I just got the stink-eye from two guys out there. Were they friends of yours?"

"No, they were with the military. They wanted to use my nanos to heal the man in the wheelchair."

"Is the stuff ready?," Cage leans in, exaiming the vial on the desk.

"Unfortunately, not. They didn't want to wait. In fact, I got the distinct impression the major wanted to use the same process that gave you powers. Apparently, healing the man wasn't enough. He needed another Luke Cage."

"One of me is more than enough," Cage jokes, "Makes me a little concerned, though. Are you sure this stuff won't give people weird powers if it's misused?

"I've done my best to avoid anymore hiccups. This batch isn't as powerful as the last. Hopefully, it won't attract any more attention from people looking to turn it into a weapon."

"That's good. We know what happens when this stuff gets into the wrong hands."

"That, we do."


	4. Chapter 4

Danny Rand walks into the middle of a darkened dojo, alone and wearing his traditional green and gold gi from K'un L'un. The shirt is sleeveless and open, exposing the chest which has a black dragon tatto: the mark of Shao-Lao. He takes a yellow cloth skull cap in his hands and pulls it over half his face, revealing two black eyeholes, and ties it behind his head. He takes a martial arts stance, breathes for a moment... then explodes in a fury of punches and kicks. He leaps toward hanging sand bags and does the splits in mid-air, kicking two of them. When he lands, he rolls along a mat and bounces off the balls of his feet, hitting a third bag and ripping it off its rope where it hurls across the room. Finally, he does a reverse sommersault across the room, back flips, lands, and ignites his right fist with the explosive Iron Fist technique. He spins and leaps around, a trail of golden energy following his hand with every movement as he strikes. Finally, he punches the air, releasing the Iron Fist in an explosive burst of energy around his hand.

A few minutes later, he is in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. He leaves the dojo, which is revealed to be a single room in a much larger house. Despite his lavish living conditions, there are few decoratiosn in the house, a result of very simple living. He walks into his massive kitchen, opens the refridgerator, and removes a bottle of water. He takes the bottle of water to his study where he plops down in fornt of a desk and starts working on his computer. He performs a websearch on "current medical studies" and soon finds a link to the Pulse. He brings up Jessica Jones' article on Burstein's nanobots. He takes a swig from his water bottle as he reads.

The next day, at Rand Corps, Burstein nervously walks down a hall toward an office. "May I help you?," the receptionist asks. "Uh, yes, I have an appointment. I'm Noah Burstein." The receptionist smiles and motions toward the door, "Ah, Mr. Rand is expecting you. He said you can come right in." Burstein briefly thanks her before continuing toward the office. He enters the double doors and finds Danny sitting at his desk. He rises to his feet, smiles, and shakes his hand, "Prof. Burstein? Daniel Rand, pleasure to meet you. Have a seat."

"Thanks," Burstein takes a seat, "So you're interested in building a medical facility?"

"Yes, I've been interested for a while now. My company isn't as keen on the idea as I am so it's good to bring in a professional who, from what I understand, is making a huge difference in medical science."

"Thanks. Y'know, I have to admit, when your company called my office a few days ago, I almost refused to meet you. In fact, I almost cancelled our meeting today."

"Why's that?"

"Well, I'm sure you're aware of what happened last year."

"I spent most of my life... out of the country. It wasn't too long ago that I've returned. I'm actually trying to get up to date on current events."

"Ah, sorry. My nanotechnology was misused by a large corporation. One who wanted to use it for some pretty dark reasons. I'm sure you've heard of Luke Cage?"

"... Maybe."

"Well,... I suppose it's all in the past. At any rate, I've had some bad experiences with big companies."

"What made you change your mind about me, out of curiosity?"

"All the guys who tried to screw me over met me in person so far. I figure if someone important wants to meet me without an appointment, they shouldn't be trusted. You had an assistant call my office."

Danny raises his eyebrows, "Was that a bad thing? I mean, I wanted to call personally but the board say I should -"

"Relax. You got my attention. That's the main thing."

"Sorry. I'm pretty new to all this. Anyway, as I said, I'm interested in expanding my company into the realm of medical science. I fell across an article about you and knew you were the right person to call. The benefits of nanotechnology are really intriguing."

"Great. We might be on the same wavelength. What would you like me to do?"

"Can you give a demonstration to the board? Like I said, they're still not 100% on this but if they see what I'm talking about firsthand, it could change their minds. In exchange, we could give you extra funding for your research."

"Extra funding? I won't be working for you or anything?"

"Not unless you want to. I would like it, however, if you could share some specs. Give us something to start with when we begin our own nanotech research."

"Well, I'll give you a demonstration at a time of your choosing. We can discuss things further from there."

"Great."

"You understand, I'm really nervous about letting too much information out there. I mean, it was only a few days ago that someone came to my labs hoping to essentially weaponize this technology."

"I understand," Danny reaches across his desk and shakes his hand, "Thank you very much, professor. I promise everything will be safe with us."

Claremont Military Base, upstate New York...

The compound is medium size with only barracks: no apparent living quarters for civilians. It's in the middle of a wooded area with tall, barbed-wire electric fences surrounding it and at least one tower with a floodlight. Inside the compound's offices, Major Barrington walks alongside Mitchell Tanner. "You can stay here in the barracks, Tanner," he tells him, "I'm sure we can convince Burstein eventually. If not, I'm sure there are ways around him." Tanner nods, "Thank you, sir."

The Major looks at him, "Tanner, what the professor said about turning you into a super soldier... How would you feel if that were true?"

"I only care about my legs, sir," he says and then adds, "But I wouldn't turn it down. To make sure nothing like this would ever happen to me again... No, sir. I wouldn't turn it down."

"I'm glad to hear that. The professor was right about what he said, y'know. As you probably know, the government has made these sort of experiments illegal recently. We're walking on thin ice here just talking about it, but I want to be straight with you. I chose you because I want to help you but aside from that, I wanna make sure wounded soldiers are a thing of the past. More importantly, I wanna win wars. You're a good soldier, Tanner. I can't think of a better man who deserves this honor. Still, if you want to stop this right here and now, we can."

"No, sir," Tanner says purposefully, "It's an honor to be a part of this."

Days later, Burnstein is in a Rand lab, standing behind a work bench while Danny and the board stand across the room. All of his equipment is spread around the bench as Burstein fumbles with laptop cables, "Just be a minute," he says apologetically. Danny looks at the board nervously as one of them checks his watch with unashamed boredom. Burstein opens his metal briefcase and takes out a metal vial, opening it to reveal his container of nanobots. He places the vial in a display and removes a separate slide on his microscope. He flips it on and the microscope image appears on his laptop screen: a single nanobot twitching. The board members perk up and stand at attention, making Danny smile. "Now, as Mr. Rand explained," Burstein begins, "With this tehcnology, the sky's the limit in what we can do with damaged or diseased cells." Burstein reaches down and sets an old plant on the bench. It is withered, brown, and failing. "Take this plant. I'm terrible at watering these things but with this technology, I can give it a new lease on life, expanding its life by quite a bit." He removes the slide from his microscope and places it next to the plant stem. From there, he types a few commands into his laptop and faces the board. They stare at him silently as he gazes back at them and then to the plant, "It will take a few moments." Soon, the brown, withered plant seemingly rises, the color returning to its leaves as it blossoms. Burstein types a few more commands and removes the slide, "I hope to have this technology ready for the public in just a few years." The board members applaud and both Danny and Burstein smile happily. "Looks good, Daniel," the chairman tells him, "I think you're on to something."


	5. Chapter 5

A black helicoptor lands at Claremont military base. The emblem on the foor shows an eagle and sheild logo with the words Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division printed on it. A middle-aged man, balding with glasses, steps out of the coptor, flanked by two other men. They all wear black suits and walk briskly inside the base. There, they are greeted by Major Barrington, "A meeting with agents of SHEILD," he says with a smirk, "Seems like a lot of attention for one guy."

"Major Barrington, I'm Agent Jasper Sitwell," the man in glasses explains, "Could we speak privately?"

"I guess I don't have much choice in the matter," Barrington says with barely-concealed contempt.

A few minutes later, both men are in his office. Barrington sits behind his desk, an American flag behind him. Sitwell seats himself in the chair across from the desk while his accompanying agents stand behind him. Barrington folds his hands in front of him and frowns. "So what's this all about?," he growls, "I know how these things go. Federal agents don't just airlift themselves to a high-security base to speak with a senior officer unless that officer is in some kind of trouble."

"You're not in trouble, Major. At least I hope not. A few months ago, you went to the Senate and demanded the Super Soldier Program be reopened and stood in direct protest against the ban on creating superhuman military personel."

"Of course, I did. Shutting the program down was a mistake... I do understand I am free to express my own opinions."

"Civlians have that freedom. I don't have to tell you that such direct defiance by military officers is not proper conduct but that's not the issue here. It has come to our attention that you have started certain initiatives that could lead to a sort of back-door super soldier program."

"You mean the rehabilitation program?," his tone becomes more hostile, "The one I started to make sure a brave solider can regain the ability to walk? A program that could lead to other soldiers just like him getting a new lease on life? Is that the program you're talking about?"

"You spoke with Professor Noah Burstein, the man who created the process that turned Luke Cage into a super strong bounty hunter. Now, that event was an accident as we have assertained but we have kept a close eye on his current experiments... as have you. You know just as well as we do that process could be abused. That has raised certain concerns that your actions may not be entirely -"

"These accusations are baseless."

"Major, I'm sure I don't have to bring up your past troubles with -"

"I have been under investigation more than once and I have been cleared of all charges every time."

"Yes,... you have been under investigation more than once," Sitwell's tone now matches his, "Just know that we are keeping an eye on you."

"Your warning has been duly noted," he leans in, "But let's just say theoretically, I'm up to no good. Now, what could you possibly do about it? You boys got a lot of pull but you're not invincible. You know who my friends are. You know what sort of connections I have. You don't have shit and if you did, you don't have the jurisdiction to do anything about it."

"You're right, we don't have the jurisdiction... but we do have creativity," Sitwell says dryly.

Barrington motions towards the door, "You know the way out."

Back at Burstein's lab, Burstein lays on his back, fixing a piece of machinary with some tools. The equipment hovers over his head as he tightens a screw, "Okay, that should do it," he says and slips out from under the machinary. Luke Cage stands over him and places the equipment on the floor with one hand. "Thanks for giving me a job," he tells Burstein. "No problem. It's convenient to have an extra pair of hands." Just then, the lab phone rings. Burstein excuses himself, quickly drops his tools on a nearby table and answers.

"Professor Burstein," Major Barrington is on the other line and sounds more jovial than he had before, "This is Major Barrington. I thought I'd call to see if you've reconsidered since my last visit."

"I haven't," Burstein tells him.

"Professor, you and I both know your findings are important and need to be shared."

"I agree. That's why I'm sharing them with Rand Corps."

"Rand Corps?"

"That's right."

"I see," Barrington trails off, "Sorry for wasting your time, professor. Have a nice day."

He hangs up and Cage approaches Burstein, "Who was that?"

"That was Barrington again."

"That guy is really making me nervous. You need me to take care of it for you?"

"No, that's fine. I think he's gotten the message."

"And what's this about Rand Corps?"

"I'm sharing some of my work with them. Their CEO contacted me. He wants to start a medical facility."

"That makes me nervous too. You know how these people operate. I think something's up."

"Relax, Luke. I think I can afford to trust them."

Danny Rand walks briskly to his office as a secretary stands at attention, "He's waiting in your office, Danny." Danny nods, "Thank you." He walks in and sees Barrington at the other side of his desk. He rises to his feet and shakes his hand ,"Sorry for attempting a meeting with you on such short notice, Mr. Rand. I'm Major Barrington."

Danny sits at his desk, "I had some time in my schedule, Major. What can I do for you?"

"First of all, you may not know this, but I've done business with your company in the past... Long before you were working here."

"I see," Danny responds quietly.

"Apparently, the company no longer engineers weapons, though."

"No, that branch has been shut down recently. Is that the purpose of this meeting? Because -"

"Oh, no. No, It's come to my attention you are currently working with Profesor Noah Burstein. He's one of the leading scientists in the nanotechnology field."

"Yes, sir. We're excited to have him."

"You know, I approached Burstein but he seemed adamant against helping us with our own medical program. It's designed to rehabilitate soldiers who have been wounded in battle. I was hoping that, since you are now sharing information, if you could assist us."

"Well, first of all we don't actually have that technology at the moment."

"Hm, what do you have?"

"We just have some specs and research information in our database. I'm afraid that material is classified, though. Burstein was afraid of this getting into the wrong hands and if he did not wish to share it with you -"

"Oh, come on, Daniel. You can trust me. Ask your board, I've worked with this company in the past. I was close with your last CEO, Howard Meachum."

Daniel bristles when he says the name but continues, "Well, that may be but Professor Burstein entrusted us with his information and we plan to keep it that way. It's even on our own private network and will not be shared until - "

"I'm trying to save lives here."

"... So are we. Perhaps we can arrange to help you in some other way."

"No, that'll be fine," Barrington rises to his feet, "Howard Meachum at least played ball. We really saw things eye-to-eye."

"I'm sorry, Major," Danny finally gives in, "But that man was responsible for the deaths of my parents."

"I see," Barrington becomes more sympathetic, "I'm sorry. And I'm sorry for wasting your time."

"Have a good day, Major."

The Major leaves the office and Danny sits at his desk, sighing heavily. Outside Rand Corps, the Major walks down the street and dials a quickly number on his cell. The othe rline picks up but there is no answer. Instead, Barrington simply says, "Rand Corps is not cooperating," and hangs up. He glances back at the building and moves along.


	6. Chapter 6

It's night now. Luke and Burstein leave the lab. "Have a good night, Luke," Burstein tells him. "`Night, Professor," Luke waves back and they both head out of the science building at ESU but as he leaves, he spots a black van parked across the street, its windows tinted black. Burstein heads for the parking lot and as he does so, he passes a man jogging by who, as he passes, whispers something in the lapel of his jacket. Cage glances between the van and the jogger, eventually deciding to follow. He jogs after the man, "Excuse me." The man glances back and then quickly speeds up his pace, making Cage speed up as well, "I just wanna ask you a quick question." The jogger goes into a full sprint and is now shouting into his lapel, "Assistance! I'm gonna need some assistance!". Cage catches up to him, only for the man to stop in his tracks and turn around, "I'm just jogging". Cage snatches him by his jacket and hefts him up by one hand, "People don't usually jog at night. Now, let's see what you're packing." Cage feels around on his jacket, eventually finding a gun inside, "Nice piece. Who ya working for?".

"He's working for me," a voice explains. Cage turns and finds Agent Sitwell and a trio of plain-clothes agents with their guns trained on him. Cage drops the jogger hard on the ground and walks toward him, "Who are you?".

"Agent Sitwell. I'm with SHEILD: Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division."

"Why are you spying on us?"

"SHEILD makes it a point to monitor extra normal individuals and the events surrounding them."

"So you concern yourself with people who have superpowers."

"Yes."

"You've been following me all this time, haven't you?"

"Not just you."

"Noah Burstein?"

"As the man who gave you your powers... yes, he has been a subject of investigation."

"He didn't give me powers on purpose. He's a good man."

"We realize that, which is why we have left him alone up until now. Despite appearances, Mr. Cage, we are here to help. We understand you have already been in contact with a man named Major James Barrington."

"I might have."

"We have reason to believe he's trying to start his own super soldier program but we need proof and would actually like your assistence in this matter. We understand you hire yourself out for this sort of thing. Granted, we wanted to meet you under better circumstances but since we're all here, we might as well let you know we've been planning on recruiting you for this particular assignment."

"Only me? I can't be the only guy you've looked at for recruitment."

"To be frank, there is one other person we have considered."

"Then ask him. I would help you guys but since you've been spying on me -"

"This concerns you as well, Mr. Cage. Barrington is more dangerous than you realize. Noah Burstein has refused to work with the Major and that may mean he will take more extreme measures in obtaining his nanotechnology for himself. We want to stop that from happening every bit as much as you."

"So what can you tell me about Barrington anyway?"

"He's a rogue military officer who has been investigated in relation to unlawful military operations more than once, but he has avoided being arrested. He's good at keeping himself clean and not leaving enough evidence for any charges to stick. Some people in the Pentagon view him as a useful widlcard. They point him in the right direction, allow him to go unchecked just enough to deal with certain threats and they have plausible deniability. He is not above using his influence to steal private property and has the resources to not get caught."

"I'll keep an eye out," Cage begins to leave, "I'll take care of him if he shows up. I don't need you to pay me to do that. In the meantime, I better not catch you people spying on me and my friends again."

Meanwhile, Danny sits behind his desk, working at his computer. He rubs his eyes tiredly just before his phone rings. He checks the name, seeing that it is Misty Knight, "Hey Misty," he says as he answers. "You're working late again, aren't you?," Misty asks as she sits on her couch.

"If I told you I was at my place, would you believe me?," he asks jokingly.

"Nope. I can tell by your tone."

"I had a really crazy meeting today. I just needed to get some extra work done to clear my mind."

"So how close are you to getting that medical facility?"

"Real close. The board still has to make a decision but they were really impressed by Burstein's presentation."

"That's great. I hope they finally give you a chance."

"Me too."

"Love you."

"Love you too."

He hangs up and smiles to himself, then shuts his computer down, drapes his blazer over his shoulder, and strolls out of his office. The secretary and everyone else has now left the building. He is the only one except for a security guard or two. Outside the research annex of Rand Corps, three men scale down the length of the building on chords. They are clad entirely in black, complete with masks, utility belts, and infra-red goggles. They stop outside a particular building, pressing their boots against a wide window. One of them presses a suction device to the window which sprouts a mechnical arm that emits a thin laser, cutting through the window. It moves in a circular pattern and the black-clad man removes a chunk of glass. One of his partners pulls a device from his belt and presses a button. Inside the room, the security camera shorts out from an EMP attack. In the security office, a guard sits at attention as he notices a monitor going out and quickly leaves the room. From there, the three men slip into the Rand Corps research lab. One goes to a computer and sits down before inserting a USB chip calibrated to a small tablet. From there, the man begins to hack the Rand Corps private database. Meanwhile, one of them stands guard as the third one leaves the lab. In a different section of the building, Danny Rand heads for the elevators, only for the security guard to race out of one.

"Henry, what's wrong?," Danny asks.

"A camera's out in the lab, Mr. Rand," the security guard tells him.

A concerned look crosses Danny's face, "Mind if I check it out with you?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Rand, it's probably a malfunctioning camera but if not -"

"I might be able to help. You never know," Danny begins to lead the security guard toward the research annex.

The security guard follows after him, "I-I know you spent years in Asia and you know some kind of karate or something, but I-I really think -"

Danny opens the door leading to the annex, only for a silenced pistol to be shoved in their faces, "That's far enough, gentlemen. Hands up," the third operative tels them. Both Danny and the guard raise their hands. "Uh, you can handle this if you like," the guard tells Danny nervously. Danny smiles, "Thank you, Henry," and drives his heel into the operative's knee, forcing him on one leg. Danny lunges forward, striking him in the throat with his forearm and throwing him into the double doors behind them. The man hits the floor of the lab, unconscious, while the other two operatives stare at Danny blankly. Danny turns back to the guard, "Call the cops." The guard nods and rushes away and as Danny watches him go, the second operative sneaks up, slipping a wire around his neck. Danny grabs the wire and backpeddles into the lab, forcing the operative back while the first operative quickly slips the USB out of the computer. As Danny is pulled back, they pass a desk where he kicks off and performs a back flip completely over the operative's head, landing behind him with both hands on his shoulder, then yanks the man off his feet and slams him onto the floor. The first operative pulls a canister from his belt and tosses it. Two streams flow out of the metal container as Danny backs away and places his jacket over his face. More smoke billows out, forcing him back through the doors. The operative pulls his partner to his feet, shaking him to clear his head, "We gotta go!" Danny backs out of the lab as a cloud of smoke pours out into the hall. The third operative begins to wake up as the other men drag him toward the window. Danny waves his jacket around, blowing the smoke back as he returns to the lab just in time to see the men disappear out the window. He follows and looks out as the operatives reach the top of the building on their cables.

Danny doubles back, passing the empty smoke-bomb canister as he leaves the lab, then makes his way up the stairwell, bursts through the door, and leaps onto the railing, propelling himself upward to the next floor, kicks off the side of the stairs, and back flips to the next floor. He makes his way to the top of the stairs and explodes onto the roof where he sees a helicoptor taking off, leaving with the information in Rand Corps' database.


	7. Chapter 7

The helicopter flies over the woods, eventually reaching the base. Later, the operatives get out of the copter on a landing pad as Barrington approaches. They hand the USB over to him. "Did you have any trouble he asks. "Someone was working late," the leader tells him, "Didn't expect a businessman to put up such a good fight. We left a mess. Sorry, boss." Barrington shoots them a look, "I thought I trained you boys better than to have your asses handed to you by some pencil-pusher," then takes a look at the USB in his hand, "At least we have the information we need." Later, he is in the base's lab alongside Tanner. An engineer checks the data on a computer screen and turns back to the Major, "This information is great but incomplete. It will take several months before we can have something conrete."

"I can wait," Tanner tells him.

"No, to hell with that," Barrington growls, "What if I can give you actual nanobots to work with?"

"Then we could easily reverse engineer them using this information."

"Let's make that happen."

"Sir, Rand Corps will know we're coming. Apparently, they have better security than we realized," Tanner warns, "Aside from that, Luke Cage could get involved if we go after Burstein's property."

"Then we'll round up bigger guns."

The next morning, Danny stands in the lab, watching as police officers investigate the area. He sighs to himself as they pack up the computers and carry them out. Soon, he is joined by the board members. "Daniel," the chairman begins, "The police are still not sure who did this but it's a serious problem. We've decided that, until we can figure everything out and get our missing data back, we'll have to put the medical facility research on hold. I'm sorry." Danny says nothing and simply nods as the men move along. Soon, Misty and Colleen enter the room, Misty giving him a hug as she walks in.

"I'm so sorry, Danny," she tells him.

"Thanks," Danny turns to her and Colleen, "Let's talk in private." They nod and follow him out of the room just as his secretary comes in, "Mr. Rand, there are government agents on the phone for you. They say they're with... SHEILD, I think?". He waves her off, "Not now," and leads the two private detectives out of the room. In a few minutes, they are in his office, "The board wants the police to handle things and didn't like the idea of me hiring private detectives. I called you two because I want to know who's behind this and I want to find out as quickly as possible. If that includes getting personally involved, so be it. This was no simple robbery. These men were experts."

Colleen shows him a picture she took with her phone of the smoke bomb, "Misty convinced the officers to let us to take a look at the evidence. Apparently, this smoke bomb was the only thing the men left behind. It's military grade from the looks of it, so you're probably right in thinking they are professionals."

"We just need to know what they were after," Misty tells him.

"They hacked our database so they could be after a number of things," Danny tells her, "... But I did have a really weird meeting with a military officer named Barrington yesterday. He was adamant about sharing some of our research. Really put me on edge. Especially when he mentioned he used to do business with Howard Meechum. It's got me wondering."

"What sort of research was he interested in?," Colleen asks.

"Nanotechnology. I've been meeting with a Professor from Empire State University who has been working on using nanobots for medical purposes. Barrington wanted to essentially weaponize it."

"Well, if he's willing to break into this building to steal the data, then that means he might be willing to break into the university," Colleen explains.

"Does this professor have anything they may want to get their hands on?," Misty asks.

"Professor Burstein has already developed prototypes. I assume they're in his lab as we speak."

"You might want to call and give him a heads up."

"I might do a little more than that."

Not long after that, Burstein recieves a phone call in his lab. He answers, "Professor Burstein, Empire State University".

"Professor Burstein, it's Daniel Rand."

"Mr. Rand, how are you?"

"Not good, unfortunately. There's been a break-in at Rand Corps. A group of armed men got inside and stole information from our database."

"My God. That's terrible."

"It gets worse, I'm afraid. Your research was included on that database and I have reason to believe someone is after your nanobots specifically. As I understand, Major Barrington has been more than interested in your nanotechnology."

"... Go on."

"It's possible he's behind this and I have a hunch he may decide to come to the university and steal your nanobots personally. You should alert the authorities but on top of that, I can provide protection. The best around."

Luke Cage enters the lab, hauling a large crate on his shoulder. "No thanks," Burstein tells him, "I have all the protection I need." He hangs up the phone. Disappointed, Danny hangs up on his end as well but quickly gets a detemrined look on his face. "What now?," Cage asks as he notices Burstein's expression.

"There was a break-in at Rand Corps. They took my nanobot research."

"Lemme guess, Major Barrington?"

"It's a possibility."

"Y'know, last night I did a little research of my own and found out Barrington used to do business with Rand Corps when they had a different CEO. I wouldn't be surprised if they were both in on it. Maybe the whole thing was staged. Hell, for all we know, they're both in league with those guys from SHEILD. Too many people got their eyes on you these days, Professor."

"Well, I am concerned," Burstein removes the glass cylinder holding the nanobots, "I think someone will be coming for these soon. We need to be careful," he places the cylinder in a metal vial, "Which is why I need you for a mission. I'll pay you twice as much as you're making now."

"For what? Protection? Professor, you know I'll gladly help you for free."

"Luke, I'm not asking you for protection. I'm asking you to commit a crime. One that could easily land you back in prison."

"What?"

"Stage a robbery of your own. Make it appear someone has already broken in and stolen the nanobots. We'll keep them hidden, that way, I can complete my work while we get to the bottom of this thing. If we're lucky, we'll catch the bastards in the act."

Cage shrugs, "Sounds like a plan. I'm in."


	8. Chapter 8

Night. Cage walks across the campus quad, looking in every direction for signs of witnesses: one in particular, "SHIELD, if you're out there watching, stay out of my way," then rushes inside the science building. He enters the lab, immediately spotting the metal nanotech vial on a nearby shelf, then quickly makes his way to it and slips it into his jacket pocket. Slowly, a shadow ascends wall in front of him and when he spins around, he sees Danny Rand, decked out in his K'un L'un fighting gi and mask.

"I'm not sure that belongs to you," he warns him.

"And I'm sure it don't belong to you, either," Luke retorts, "I take it you don't work for SHIELD?"

"Who?"

"Nevermind. Nice costume, by the way. Are they having a pajama party in the dorms or something?"

Danny takes a fighting pose, "Put the vial back where you found it. I won't tell you again."

Cage stands firm, "Friendly warning: when someone like you punches someone like me, they usually end up with a broken hand."

"Fine. I won't punch you," Danny puts his hands down and lunges forward with a kick to the chest. Cage does not move but the force of the kick throws him off his feet and onto his back. Cage shrugs and quickly darts out the door with Danny in hot pursuit. They race down the hall, quickly approaching a window. Cage makes a huge leap, smashing through it and clearing the gap to the adjacent building. He hits the wall, digging his hands into the side with a superhuman grip that slows his descent until he stops several feet from the ground. Danny stops and witnesses Cage smashing his fists into the face of the building as he scales up the side. He looks down and notices a tree and a nearby fire escape on another building. He takes a few steps back and then hurls himself out the broken window where he drops to the tree, grabs onto a branch, flips onto it, and kicks off toward the fire escape. He grabs hold of the bottom of the railing, then climbs over the side and rushes up the steps to the rooftops.

From somewhere else, a hidden camera watches Cage climbing up the side of the building with a voice reporting over a radio, "Target A is on the move with Target B in pursuit. Permission to engage?". Then another voice is heard, "Not yet. Let's see where this goes first."

Meanwhile, Cage continues to climb, eventually making his way to the top of the building. When he clears it, he notices Danny bounding over the edge of a nearby rooftop. "He's fast," Cage mutters to himself and takes off in the opposite direction. Danny races after him, leaping from one rooftop to the next. Cage sprints toward an open area and eventually comes to a stop along the edge when he notices he has run out of rooftops. Below him is a long drop and a factory a few stories down with no more roofs to leap to. Danny continues to run, throwing himself into a flying kick that lands against Cage's spine before they both go over the edge, plummeting several feet to the factory below.

Danny holds onto Cage's back, using him as a shield when they finally hit the roof. Cage is smashed through the ceiling and continues to fall until he hits the hard concrete floor, creating a massive hole in the floor. Danny, meanwhile, holds onto the hole in the roof and drops down beside his foe. Cage stands up and cocks his head to the side, popping his neck. Danny takes another fighting stance.

"So this is still going on?," Cage asks, "I don't know if you noticed, but you just dropped me through an entire building and I ain't even mad about that," he motions toward Danny, "I mean, what do you think you can -". Danny races forward and grabs Cage by the wrist, pulling his arm around in a windmill motion, the rest of his body carried along by the momentum. He is flipped head over heels and falls flat on his back. Cage stares at the ceiling, blinking a few times in dismay before he pops back up to his feet. "Okay," he puts his fists up, "You still wanna do this, that's fine by me. Let's do this."

He takes a quick jab at Danny who cocks his head to the side to avoid the blow, so he takes two more quick jabs and they are likewise avoided. He steps back and throws a righthook which Danny dips under. He throws an uppercut but Danny sidesteps it. Frustrated, Cage throws another punch which Danny deflects by grabbing his forearm and pushing him forward. Cage retaliates with a backhand that Danny ducks under. Finally, Cage goes for a blow to the ribs, forcing Danny to lean back to avoid it; this gives Cage the opportunity to snap his wrist back, slapping the back of his hand against his chest. Danny, is thrown off his feet and lands on his back, sliding along the floor before coming to a stop.

He rolls over onto his side and clutches his chest as he catches his breath. Cage approaches slowly, "So we're done here, right? No shame in you giving up. Probably the best fight I've had in a while. Especially for a guy without powers." Danny sits up in a crouching position with one hand behind his back. His fist glows as he summons the Iron Fist, getting more and more intense as he gathers enough energy. Meanwhile, Cage continues to walk toward him, not realizng Danny's next attack. "Come on, Kung-Fu. Who you working for?," he stops directly in front of Danny, "I'll give you a chance to answer before I make you." Danny pulls his fist back for a second and Cage gets a brief glimpse as his glowing fist but there is no time to say anything. When the hit connects, there's a brief flash of energy and Cage is thrown across the factory, hitting a metal beam hard enough to dent it before being carried toward the wall where he smashes through. He hits the alley outside along with chunks of granite and a cloud of dust. Danny walks through the factory with determination and as he passes a dangling chain, he pulls it down and begins wrapping it around his fist.

Cage picks himself off the ground in the alley and dusts himself off, "Okay, I admit,... that hurt." Danny stands in the opening of the wall above him and drops down, Cage stepping back as he does so. Danny takes a swing with his chain-wrapped fist across Cage's jaw. Cage throws a punch, misses, and ends up putting an indention in the brick wall beside them. While still in a crouching position, Danny takes a shot at Cage's ribs, then kicks off the wall, hitting him with a flying punch to the face. Cage staggers back but remains on his feet. Danny comes at him again but this time, his fist is caught in a vice grip. "Bound to happen eventually," Cage pulls the chain, sending Danny into the air as it unravels from his hand. He hits the ground and rolls heavily through the alley, grunting loudly everytime he meets the pavement and eventually flopping onto his back. Cage angrily snaps the chain in half and tosses the pieces away. Danny staggers to his feet, stumbles onto his backside, and props himself back up again. He clenches his feet one more time, igniting the Iron Fist. "Not that glowing-fist thing again," Cage groans.

Danny finds the strength to leap forward. Cage follows suit, throwing a punch himself. The two men lunge at each other, fists raised as they attack simultaneously. The two fists meet between them, the Iron Fist exploding against invulnerable knuckles in a surge of power that quickly expands into a ball of chi energy that throws both of them in opposite directions. Danny hits a pile of garbage bags at the end of the alley while Cage hits the ground, digging a small groove into the pavement. Both men groan in pain as they stir. "It's a fair one, man," Cage moans, "Let's just call it a draw."

Jasper Sitwell rounds the corner, hands casually in his pockets while flanked by two agents in plain clothes. "Now that you guys got that out of your system, how about we work together?". Danny and Cage glance at each other curiously and then back to Sitwell.


	9. Chapter 9

Sitwell leads both Cage and Danny back into the warehouse while the other agents station themselves at the entrance; and as Sitwell casually strolls to the center of the floor, he turns to Danny, "So, as I mentioned to Mr. Cage last night, SHIELD is invested in this sort of activity. We have been aware of you since the Howard Meechum incident but we still need to debrief you. How did you achieve such powers?" Danny stops and glares at Sitwell, "That information stays with me."

"Fair enough. By the way, Mr. Rand, you can take off the mask."

Danny stares in disbelief and then removes his mask, "How did you know?".

"We make it a point to know these things."

Cage turns to Danny, "Wait... Mr. Rand? As in Daniel Rand? The CEO of Rand Corps, right? I knew there was something going on with you people."

"Seriously, who the hell are you?," Danny scowls.

"He's Luke Cage," Sitwell tells him, "You are both involved in the same investigation. One in which we are also interested in. Because of your particular skills and abilities, we have been instructed to ask the both of you to join us on this mission. Our director figures it's better to have you onboard than getting in our way."

"I already told you I wasn't interested," Cage growls, "And I certainly don't need to work with 'Moneybags' over here."

"I don't need your help, either," Danny tells him.

"The only help you need is help with a new wardrobe."

"Funny."

"I know. It's what I said it."

"Guys, can we focus a little?," Sitwell continues, "Major Barrington is trying to get his hands on the nanotechnology you're carrying. We need to stop that from happening. If we keep butting heads, there's a good chance he will succeed. It's logical that we work together on this. SHIELD will hire you both as free agents for this one assignment. After that, you are free to go your separate ways."

"I don't need your money," Cage tells him.

"How much have you made as a bounty hunter so far, Mr. Cage? I believe this job is a part of your parole."

"You're a criminal?," Danny asks, "No surprise there."

Cage glances at him and back at Sitwell, "I need the cash, I admit, but I have my principles. You people have been spying on me and Noah Burstein. That kinda thing makes me a little angry just for future reference."

"I'm certainly not strapped for cash either, as you know," Danny tells him, "I would volunteer to help you for free but I'm also not too keen on trusting people who have been watching me from afar."

"Fine," Sitwell tells them, "If it's about the spying, I'll see what I can do to get the organization off your tails."

"You'll... 'See what you can do'?," Cage mocks him.

"Okay, I'll get my men off the case."

"Why are you so interested in us?," Danny asks, "I'm sure you have the resources to take Barrington out if you have to."

"We do but he is protected by the Pentagon. It is technically out of our jurisdiction but if we hired freelancers in secret-"

"You can deny having anything to do with it and you won't get the blame if things go wrong," Cage chuckles, "Knew there was a catch."

"I don't make the rules, Mr. Cage. If you get caught, we will disavow having anything to do with the two of you. If you succeed and get evidence of Barrington's actions, you will be rewarded. We will also provide additional assistance as needed. We know the enemy better than you do."

"You're right," Danny agrees, "I'll help as long as you stop spying on me."

"C'mon, you're just in it for the money, aren't you?," Cage shakes his head, "You ain't wealthy enough?"

"You think this is about money? That man broke into my company and has put lives at risk which, by the way, includes your friend Burstein. Why don't you let go of your pride and help out?"

"It's funny that you're trying to lecture me about pride."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not the only one with something to prove around here."

"Seriously, guys... Kind of on a deadline here," Sitwell groans.

Cage pauses for a moment and turns to Sitwell, "If bringing Barrington down means putting up with you clowns, then that's just the way it is. Sign me up."

"Great," Sitwell tells them, "Now, we know Barrington is likely going to try another attack. We want to keep these nanos out of his reach but at the same time, we want to draw him out, make him desperate so we can catch him. Contact Burstein and let him know, then we'll get back with you. Hopefully, by tomorrow, you'll have a good plan... And you won't kill each other in the meantime. Good luck, gentlmen."

The next day, Burstein sits in his office, gazing at the vial of nanobots. Danny and Cage stand behind him. "So we're supposed to hide this while at the same time, lure Barrington out?," Burstein summarizes, "How do we go about doing that?"

"We can't just leave it in our apartments," Cage explains, "It's too obvious. We need some place remote. It should be hard for them to find but at the same time, we want them to come looking for us so we can catch `em."

"I know of a couple of private detectives in the city," Danny explains, "We can leave the nanos with them."

"Can they trace these detectives back to you?"

"Well,... one of them is my girlfriend," Danny says half-embarrassed, "They've kinda been investigating the break-in at my company."

"Then they can trace them back to you. I don't wanna leave the nanos with other people. Besides, Barrington will probably not be as likely to attack while inside the city. Not a second time anyway," Cage thinks for a moment, "Professor, don't you have a summer home upstate?"

"Yes."

"It's pretty remote, right?"

"There probably isn't another house for about half a mile."

"It'll do. These guys will probably find out about your place and come out that way. We'll be waiting."

"We'll be waiting but what if they get the nanos while we're fighting. It's still pretty risky," Danny argues, "Leaving the nanos with the detectives is a safe bet."

"What if Barrington ends up with his men at their doorstep?," Cage asks.

"Trust me, they know how to fight."

"What, you trained them in kung-fu or something?," he laughs.

"Yes," he explains frankly.

"... Oh," Cage mutters sheepishly.

"Guys," Burstein interjects, "Can't we do both?"

Moments later, the three men leave the university. As they go, a man in the bushes nearby snaps a few photographs of them, making sure to have a picture of all three men together. Once he has his photos, he leaves quickly.

That night, Tanner sits up in bed in a cold sweat. He cries out and settles down slightly when he remembers his surroundings. He is in the mess hall later, opening the refridgerator for a bottle of milk. Barrington enters the hall and watches Tanner drink. "Still not sleeping?," he asks.

"I sleep, sir," Tanner tells him, "It's just that I get bad dreams when I do."

"We'll take care of you soon enough. My boys did some snooping. Seems Cage and Burstein are working with Daniel Rand. They think they left the university campus with the nanobots and they're attempting to hide them. We narrowed down their next location to two or three different locations. Don't worry, I'll get `em for you."

"With all due respect sir, do you think we've gone too far?"

"You know what I've accomplished in the past, Tanner. If I get into too much hot water, I can always cover my ass. This time is no different than the others."

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Sure."

"I am not worth this much heat."

"You're right, Tanner," he states matter-of-factly, "You're not but this project is. It's not just about fixing you, it's about making this military stronger than it ever has been. You will be the first but you will not be the last. What's important is that you're doing the right thing for your country," Barrington turns to leave and Tanner is left alone, contemplating his words.

The next day, Cage and Daniel place their bags in the trunk of Burstein's car. "Surprised you don't have someone hired to pack your bags for you," Cage jokes. Danny turns to him, "You know, it's going to be a long car ride. How about easing up a little?". Cage pats him on the shoulder, "I'm just messing with ya, man. Relax." Colleen and Misty drive up in their car and get out to greet the men.

"Look at you, all ready for your first camping trip?," Misty says with a smirk.

"Everything set up at the office?," Danny asks.

"We're ready. We thought we'd stop by and see you off," Colleen tells him and then turns to shake Cage's hand, "Hi. Colleen Wing."

"Luke Cage," he turns to Misty, "And you are?"

"Misty Knight. It's nice meeting you. I'm a really big fan."

Danny quickly puts his arm around Misty, "She's my girlfriend."

"Ah, you should meet my girlfriend sometime then," he states plainly, indicating that Danny has nothing to worry about.

"We're all set," Burstein tells them as he gets into his car.

Danny kisses Misty, "I'll see you when I get back."

"You two gonna get along upstate?," she asks.

"I don't think so," Danny whispers, "The sooner I distance myself from that guy the better."

"He doesn't seem so bad."

"Oh, he's bad. Trust me."

"Anyway,... Good luck."

"You too."

He gets into the car and Burstein drives them away. Misty and Colleen watch them go.


	10. Chapter 10

They arrive in a lakeside house later that evening. The house is two stories and sits on a hill overlooking a lake with a wide yard and trees around it. Burstein drives his car up the driveway and into the garage. They walk through the living room a while later, the two emn dropping their bags as they check out their surroundings. "Nice place," Cage tells him, "Why didn't you bring me out here sooner?".

"You've lived in the city all your life," Burstein chuckles, "How often have you gone out to the woods?"

"Does Central Park count?"

"No. No, it doesn't."

"It's a very nice place, Professor Burstein," Danny tells him.

"I"m sorry to say I only have two bedrooms," Burstein apologizes.

"I'm fine sleeping on the floor."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. It's an Eastern thing."

"Okay, well, I'll take the main bedroom and Luke, you can have the spare," Burstein heads upstairs, "I'll get the room ready for you."

With Burstein gone, Cage approaches Danny, "So what's with the man-of-mystery act anyway? It's not too often a guy as rich as you knows magic martial arts and sleeps on floors. I mean, on the ride here, I told you how I got my powers. What about you?"

Danny contemplates this for a moment and finally answers, "I lost my parents when I was young. I was stranded in China and then ended up somewhere else entirely... Long story short, the people there took me in, taught me how to fight, and I was given the Iron Fist technique," Danny balls up his fist, igniting it in chi energy.

"Iron Fist... It's a good name."

Danny opens his hand and the energy disapates, "I came back to New York to avenge my parents' death and became CEO of their company. That's about it."

"Y'know, I never knew my parents," Cage admits, "I was raised by my granny. Lost her about a year ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thanks," Cage reaches into the refridgerator and pulls out a beer bottle, "You want a beer?"

"No thanks. Don't drink."

"Is that an Eastern thing too? You Buddhist or something?"

"No. I just want to stay as healthy as possible. Not all of us are invincible," he says with a laugh.

"Nah, I'm not invincible. There are plenty of things that can kill me," Cage takes a drink, "But thankfully, beer ain't one of `em."

Burstein comes back down the stairs, "The room's in decent order up here if you want to take a look."

They follow him upstairs to the second floor, "So here's where you'll be staying". It's a long hallway with two bedrooms and a row of windows on each side. Cage checks the spare room, "This is fine, professor." Burstein smiles, "I'm glad you like it. Y'know, I bought this place when...," he is cut off when the lights go out, casting the entire house in darkness.

"Tell me you haven't been paying the electricity bill," Cage says to Bustein.

"No, it's something else," he tells him, "Maybe some sort of electromagnetic pulse."

"How would that be possible?"

"Well,... it can occur naturally."

"And if it isn't natiural?," Danny asks.

"Then it must've come from a weapon of some kind."

Danny looks out a window, "I was afraid of that."

Outside, a black helicopter flies in low over the trees, making its way to the house. "Burstein, you might want to get back in your room," Cage warns the professor. He nods and quickly retreats. Inside the helicotper, soldiers clad in black ready their gear: they load guns, slips smoke bombs into their belts, and behind them, two black humvees sit ready for action.

Danny and Cage stand back-to-back, both taking a readying stance as they wait for their attackers. Above the house, the nearly-silent helicopter hovers overhead, the side hatch opening to reveal the operatives just before they hop out and land on the roof as softly as possible, one-by-one. The helicopter leaves and they take mechanical grappling hooks from their belts and extend them with the push of a button, then stab them into the roof where they dig in by themselves with Luke and Danny turning their attention toward the ceiling as they hear the noise. The men pull cable lines from the hooks, stretching them out before connecting them onto the latches on their belts. Once they're secured in a row on either side of the roof, the leader gives a signal and they all simultaneously leap off the side, swinging by their cables.

A second later, they smash through the windows on either side of the room, sending glass in all directions. Danny and Cage brace themselves as they are immediately surrounded. Cage spins around, striking the first soldier in arms-length who, while still attatched to his cable, is flung back through the window where he swings around and collides against the side of the house and dangles. Two soldiers detach themselves from their lines and take aim with automatic weapons. Danny ducks down between them, grabbing the shoulder-straps hanging from the guns and wraps them around the muzzle of either weapon. He twists the straps around, throwing the guns out of their hands and across the room. Another soldier fires at Cage, only for the bullets to bounce off his shoulder. He turns his attention to him in time to see the soldier grab a smoke canister and hurl it. Cage backhands the canister, sending it back to his attacker where he hits the man in the chest then bounces out the window where it explodes in a harmless cloud of smoke. Danny leaps, extending both legs forward as he strikes his two assailants in the chest, sending them back against the wall. They drop to the floor and begin to rise until he spins into a roundhouse kick, taking both of them out. Another soldier takes aim but Cage grabs the rug underneath him and pulls it, throwing the man off his feet as he fires. He falls onto his back along with the pieces of the ceiling he just blasted away. As he sits back up, Cage dashes by, bringing his knee into his forehead. The final solider turns and races to the next room.

"Professor!," Cage shouts as he notices where the solider is headed. A moment later, the solider has kicked the door in and has taken aim at Noah Burstein, "Hands in the air, old man!". Burstein nervously complies. On the second floor, two more men burst through the front door and begin to sweep the room. "Get Burstein," Danny tells him, "I'll take care of the guys downstairs".

In Burstein's room, the solider steps forward, gun still trained on the scientist, "You know what we're after, Burstein, so just -". A moment later, Cage's fist bursts through the wall, striking him across the face. He crumples to the ground. "You okay, professor?," he asks from the hole in the wall. The professor replies, "Uh,… Let me wait until my heart starts beating again and I'll tell you."

The two operative below begin to make their way up the stairs. Danny hops onto the banister and slides down, one leg extended. He strikes the first one in the chest and sends him falling into the second. They tumble down the steps and Danny leaps over the end of the banister, into the living room. One of the soldiers climbs back up to his feet and produces a knife from his belt, taking two slashes.

Meanwhile, on the lawn outside, two armored humvees race over the grass toward the house. At the back of either vehicle, there stands a gunner and a high-powered mounted assault weapon. Cage notices them first as he peers out the window, "We got company outside!," he shouts down to Danny. Danny ducks under a knife-swipe, "Kinda busy down here". Cage shrugs and leaps through the window to the lawn outside. The first gunner unloads on him, sending him rolling across the grass as it drives by. Cage picks himself back up, only for the second to drive over the hill, brushing him and sending him back to the ground with a metallic CLANG. Inside, Danny catches the knife-arm of his enemy and throws him onto his shoulders in a fireman's-carry. From there, he falls back, slamming him through the coffee table. He dashes outside just in time to see a humvee pulling up to the house. The gunner opens fire, chasing Danny across the lawn until he leaps behind a tree which is blasted nearly in half. What is left of the tree falls with Danny only having a few moments to throw himself out of the way before it hits the ground.

The second humvee roars over the ground as it heads for Danny, only for Luke Cage to run alongside it, using his powerful leg muscles to propel himself into the side of the vehicle, knocking it on its side and spilling the gunner onto the ground. The first humvee pulls a u-turn and heads back toward Danny who croutches to the ground and summons the Iron Fist. The humvee continues to make its way toward him as he summons more energy, finally striking as it gets close. The front end collapses as it comes to a dead-stop and the gunner is sent sailing overhead. It's over now.

"That was fun," Cage tells him as he regroups with Danny.

"Looks like they took the bait," Danny adds, "Hopefully the nanos are still secure with Misty and Colleen."


	11. Chapter 11

A group of unconscious, maskless soldiers lay on the front lawn of Burstein's summer home with their hands tied behind their backs. A bucket of water splashes on them, waking them up and forcing them to cough and spit. Cage tosses the bucket aside, "Rise and shine." They sit up, they're hands still behind their back as they glare at Danny and Cage. "We know you're working for Major Barrington, we just need you boys to verify it. So go ahead. Admit you're working for him, we can wait," Cage folds his arms across his chest as he waits for the men to answer. As expected, they stare at him silently, none of them saying a word. Cage raises his eyebrows. "Okay, let's try this," Cage picks the metal bucket back up, "Imagine this is your head," he punches the bucket, caving it in, "You talk and this doesn't happen. It's pretty simple." The men simply stare blankly at Cage; they're not intimidated. Danny storms forward and pulls one of the men up by his uniform, "Maybe I should just break a few kneecaps until they get the idea."

Cage drops the bucket and puts his hand on Danny's shoulder, "Whoa, wait. What?"

Danny pulls Cage aside and whispers, "We're doing the good cop, bad cop thing, right?"

"Yeah,... I'm the bad cop."

"You're not the bad cop."

"Did I stutter?"

"C'mon. I have the mask, the martial arts. I look more dangerous."

"You don't look dangerous in that costume."

"At least I have a costume."

"Man, you come straight out of a comic book."

"That's a fine line coming from a guy who calls himself Luke Cage."

"Well, at least I have a name that sounds good."

"You don't need a name if you're a badass."

As they argue, the captured operatives slowly look at each one another with complete bafflement.

"Trust me," Cage continues "You don't know what dangerous is. You didn't grow up in Harlem. You've never been to prison."

"No, believe me, I grew up in a pretty crazy place."

"Yeah, did they all dress like you?"

"Almost, yes."

"Doesn't sound too bad."

"Well, you were never trained there."

"Y'know, this doesn't look good in front of the perps," they turn to see Jasper Sitwell emerging from the shadows; soon, he's joined by agents in full gear. They swarm in and pull the soldiers to their feet where they quickly begin handcuffing them and hauling them away. "You missed the party," Cage tells him. "Yeah but I caught enough of the soap opera afterwards," Sitwell sneers, "Seriously, why don't the two of you make-out already?". Danny and Cage give him a blank stare. He shakes his head, "Sorry."

"So I guess we're done here, right?," Danny asks, "Your men will get the right information out of these guys, I'm sure."

"Not quite. We know these guys, actually: former military personnel who were discharged for various reasons and now hire themselves out as mercenaries. They were given weapons and cash by an unknown benefactor and will refuse to say who hired them."

"Barrington."

"Now you see why it's so hard to catch him. He's smart. He knows how to make sure his henchmen keep secrets," Sitwell takes a look at the house, "Seems Barrington took the bait, though. He sent quite an army. I take it the nanobots are secure in the other location?"

"Yes," Danny answers, "As far as I know, they are safely inside the offices of Misty Knight and Colleen Wing."

"Let's just hope Barrington has less men than we think and he didn't send a group over to them too," Cage replies.

At Knightwing Ltd., Misty Knight holds a metal vial in her hand. Colleen sits at her desk across the office, her family sword on the wall behind her. "Ready to call it a day?," she asks.

Misty nods, "Yeah. I hope Danny is alright."

"He can take care of himself," she tells her, "Especially since he has Luke Cage with him now."

"They don't seem to get along too well, huh?"

"Eh, once they get done measuring their manhoods, I'm sure they'll settle down and play nice."

Misty turns to her, "Y'know, I'm a little disappointed none of those guys showed up here to cause trouble."

"Seriously?"

"What can I say, it's been slow lately."

"Well, if they didn't show up here, there's a chance they went after Danny and Luke. We should call them before we take off."

"Good idea," Misty sets the vial on her desk, "So, you wanna take these things home with you or should I take `im? I feel nervous leaving them here overni-"

Suddenly, the office goes dark as the lights give out. The women stop and glance at one another before racing into action. Misty pulls the snub-nose magnum from her desk drawer and checks the chamber, making sure she still has rounds. Colleen, meanwhile, take the katana from the wall. Both women stand ready at either side of the door. "You got the sword?," Misty whispers, "Y'know, you have a gun." Colleen simply glares at her and brings her finger up to her lips. Outside in the hall, two men clad completely in black race quietly toward their office, silenced guns drawn. One stands guard and signals for the all-clear while the other slowly reaches for the door. Gradually, he opens it, peering inside where he sees Burstein's vial on Misty's desk. He keeps his gun draw as he moves farther into the room, only for Colleen to bring her sword down, slicing his silencer in half. He only has a second to realize what happened before Misty gives him a kick to his ribs, making him double over. From there, Colleen slams the hilt of her sword against the base of his skull. The second operative races in with his gun trained on Colleen but Misty plants her foot against the small of his back and launches him forward. Colleen roundhouse kicks him across the face, spinning him completely around until Misty finishes him off with a pistol-whip.

Outside, an operative stands on the roof, connecting a grappling hook to the ledge before he rappels down the side of the office building on a cable, gradually making his way to their floor.

Inside, Misty and Colleen pull the men out of the office and prop them against the wall. "Well, I got my wish," Misty says with a smirk. "That was a little too easy," Colleen warns, "Let's wake them up. We'll get `em to talk. They probably have a few partners somewhere nearby." On cue, the third operative kicks the window in and opens fire with a silenced pistol. Misty rolls along the floor as Colleen somersaults back, avoiding the bullets. The operative swings into the office and snatches the nanotech vial off the desk before leaping out the window. Misty is the first to get to her feet as she opens fire but it is too late. The operative is already riding back up the side of the building with his cable. Colleen and Misty watch him disappear onto the roof, disappointed.

It's morning now. The sun is rising over Burstein's summer home while Danny and Cage stand on the front lawn and talk into a phone set on speaker, "I'm just glad neither of you are hurt," Danny says. In New York, police are inspecting the Knightwing Ltd. office while Misty and Colleen stand off to the side while talkling on their phone. "We're fine," Misty tells him, "I just wish we were a little faster. At least we got two of these guys. The cops should get them to talk."

"Not much of a chance of that happening, apparently," Cage explains, "SHEILD will probably come get them soon enough."

"So what happens now?," Colleen asks, "SHEILD still has you for this mission, right?"

"Near as I can tell," Danny answers, "Even if they don't, we're going after Barrington, one way or another."

Cage turns to Danny with a smile and a nod.

"Keep us posted," Misty tells him, "Love ya."

"You too."

"So you're still in this?," Cage asks after he hangs up.

"Aren't you?"

"I'm in it until I get those nanos back. I don't care what SHIELD makes of it."

"Then I guess -," Danny is cut off as Sitwell approaches.

"Okay, I just got a call from Director Fury. We want to keep you guys on for a bit longer. We know where Barrington is likely staying. Chances are, the nanos are being brought back to him for further study," Sitwell tells them, "We fly to Claremont Base tonight. If we can get evidence of him keeping stolen property on his own base, we have him."

"And if we get caught breaking into a military base and the stolen property isn't there...?," Cage asks.

"SHEILD will deny everything. Nothing changes, I'm afraid."

"Figures," he rolls his eyes.

"There's still a chance to walk away from this and collect your earnings. You're not being forced into this situation."

"C'mon, relax," Danny tells him.

"Alright. So long as we get Burstein's stuff back."

Meanwhile, Burstein's nanotech sample rests in a metal and glass display with military engineers studying it while Tanner and the major watch them work. "It's happening, isn't it?," Tanner says with a smile. Barrington smiles back at him and places a hand on his shoulder.

It's night now as a helicopter flies over the trees. Danny and Cage sit in the back along with Sitwell, both of them checking their small SHIELD-issued spy cameras. "Take good care of those cameras, gentlemen," Sitwell tells them, "You'll need them to get as much evidence as you can." He looks out the window and sees the base off in the distance, "We're approaching the base," he tells them, "I take it you've both studided the map we've given you?". Cage raises it, "We got it."

Danny turns to him, "Y'know, maybe I should carry it."

"Why? Afraid I'll lose it?"

"No, but I've seen the way you fight. I'm afraid you'll get caught up in gunfire or something and it'll get destroyed."

"I can keep out of the way of gunfire."

"Can you? Because from what I saw at Burstein's..."

"Well, those were big guns."

"I'm pretty sure they have big guns on the military base."

"Okay, that's enough," Sitwell sighs, "I really need to talk to Nick Fury about that raise," he mumbles to himself as he gazes out the window. They continue to fly with the base coming up in the distance. "We're at the drop point," he tells them and a few moments later, they land in a clearing in the woods. "Try to get in and out without getting too much attention," he tells them, "We'll come back to this spot in aproximately forty minutes. Good luck, gentlemen." They nod to him as the helicopter lifts off, then race through the clearing with the base not far away. It's a large compound with a dirt road leading to an electric, barb-wire fence. The area around the base is mostly open with few trees, requiring Cage and Danny to crawl along the ground as they approach the fence. "We need to watch out for cameras," Cage whispers.

"Right," Danny agrees, "I'll go around and take out all the cameras along this section. You wait for my signal and hop over."

"What? If anyone is waiting for any signals, you need to wait for mine. I'll rip a hole through the fence while you keep an eye out."

"You'll rip a hole through the fence and alert the whole base to our location."

"We hit `em hard enough and fast enough, they won't be able to defend themselves. I know what I'm talking about. Brute force works."

"Maybe on some occasions but this isn't one of them. We need to go in quietly, get the nanos, and leave with as much stealth as possible."

"Stealth? Did you notice you're wearing green and gold pajamas?"

"This is a traditional uniform where I'm from."

"Yeah, and you look like an action figure."

They both continue to argue, their whispers becoming louder. Meanwhile, a mounted camera on the fence turns toward their direction and catches them. Inside the base's security room, a soldier peers into a monitor, "Sir, you might want to take a look at this". An officer leans over his shoulder and sees Danny and Cage arguing while laying on the ground outside the fence. "I'll tell Major Barrington," the officer rushes to a nearby phone, "Alert the MP's." Meanwhile, outside, the argument between the two men gets more heated.

"I don't care about your martial arts," Cage growls, "That don't mean you know how these missions work."

"And you do? You're only here because of a freak lab accident. I was trained for battle."

"By aliens from the looks of things."

"They aren't aliens… They just live in another dimension."

"... What?"

At this point, a group of MP's rush onto the scene, forming a semi-circle around the two men as they train their rifles on them. The two of them stop fighting once they realize they're surrounded and give each other a look. "Stand up slowly," the MP captain barks, "Hands on your heads." They both comply and rise ot their feet, placing their hands behind their heads as two MP's come forward to search them. Cage and Danny make eye contact and nod to one another as the officers approach. Once they get near, they leap into action; and as they do so the MP's open fire, bullets passing both men as they fly into the air. Danny ignites the Iron Fist while Cage raises both arms in an axe-handle swing. They hit the ground simultaneously, making a large crater that shakes the ground. The shockwave throws the two MP's back and carries over to the squad standing behind them. The ground rises under their feet, sending all of the soldiers into the air along with a massive shockwave that forces them to lose their rifles and fall to the ground several feet away, one by one. Soon, all the men are either unconscious or too stunned to pursue. "So much for stealth," Cage shrugs and throws himself back toward the fence. He easily rips it apart as he leaps through the metal wire, sending electrified sparks everywhere as he tucks and rolls onto the grass. Danny takes a running leap at the posted camera, his hands clearing the barb-wire as he grabs hold of the post and pinwheels over the side, landing next to Cage. They rush off together as a siren wails in the distance.


	12. Chapter 12

Barrington, now in uniform, walks briskly down a hallway, flanked by several commanders. "It seems everything is going as expected, gentlemen," he tells them as he continues marching forward, looking straight ahead, "Those bastards are taking the fight to us but this is why we made contingencies. You know what to do. See to it our men are ready." The officers take off in separate directions with a loud, "Yes sir." Another officer approaches the general, "Sir, we've received word from the Air Force. We have clearance to use one of their drones."

The major stops and faces him, "Where is the closest one?"

"About forty clicks from this location. It's on surveillance duty, sir."

"Is it armed?"

"Yes, sir."

"Let's see if we can put that firepower to good use."

"Yes, sir," he runs off in the opposite direction.

Barrington rushes into the security room. "I want to know what you people know," he orders, "How many men are we facing, where are they, and what weapons do they have?" One of the men turns to him, "Only two men have been confirmed, sir. They don't appear to have weapons. As for their whereabouts at the moment, we are not sure but they are definitely on base." The general rubs his chin. In the barracks, the soldiers quickly gear up: lacing their boots, putting on armor, and loading their rifles. A sergeant shouts orders at them, "Lock and load, boys! Terrorists have infiltrated our base! This is not a drill! Let's make sure they regret picking this fight!" The men pile out of the building. Meanwhile, Tanner sits up in his wheelchair and peers out the window curiously as several soldiers race by. For a moment, his mind drifts back to Afghanistan, but then he snaps to attention and wheels himself away from the window.

Jeeps and trucks pour down the road, followed by a tank. From a nearby alley, Danny and Cage watch as they are hidden in the shadows. "This isn't going well," Danny admits. "Yeah, I noticed" Cage agrees, "We gotta do something about our teamwork." They unroll their map a few moments later, Danny placing his finger on the red dot indicating the lab, "Here's our destination." Cage runs his finger farther down on the map, "And here's about where we're standing." They both glance out of the alley in the direction of the lab, witnessing several soldiers positioning themselves between the buildings along with the tank. "You wanna do this with brute force, then now's your chance," Danny whispers, "I'll cover you." Cage shakes his head, "Nah, maybe you were right. Maybe we need to do this the quiet way." Danny thinks for a moment, "Or maybe we could do both."

Moments later, several soldiers set up behind concrete blockades. Cage rounds a corner and casually approaches them. "Target sited!," one of the men shouts and they all turn their attention to him. Meanwhile, Danny runs along a low roof and leaps off, landing behind one blockade and taking out a soldier in the process. Cage dashes forward as bullets bounce off his chest, putting holes in his shirt. He throws himself into the air, smashing headlong into one of the blockades as soldiers scramble out of the way. A soldier tries to use his bayonet against Danny but he snatches the barrel and brings his elbow across his temple. Soldiers behind another blockade turn their attention to Danny, taking aim just before he rolls out of the way of the oncoming bursts of firepower. Cage hefts half of the broken blockade into his arms and hurls it, smashing into them. Danny leaps over the final concrete barrier, tackling two soldiers as they open fire into the air. With them on the ground, he throws a few punches to take them out.

Two trucks run along a nearby street. Danny snatches a grenade from the ammo of the unconscious soldiers and throws it. The explosion rips a hole in the street in front of the first truck, bringing it to a stop. Cage leaps out of the ditch, placing both hands underneath the truck and lifting with his whole might, eventually tilting it on its left side. The soldiers inside the truck tumble over one another as the truck is flipped over onto the side of the street. The soldiers in the second truck begin to leap out the back, only for Danny to leap inside instead. The back of the truck begins to shimmy as Danny takes out the men in the back, eventually throwing one onto the street. A third truck approaches behind them. Cage leaps onto the hood of the second truck, runs along the top, and leaps off. As he lands, his fist comes in contact with the front end of the third truck, smashing it. Both of them run off toward the next building as the soldiers in the third truck leap out and open fire.

Inside the security room, Major Barrington paces back and forth, "Someone tell me where they are!" One of the officers turns, phone in hand, "I've received word they're heading for the lab!" "Then that's where we need to be!," the general shouts. The door to the room opens and Tanner comes inside.

"Major, what's the situation?," he asks.

"Tanner, what are you doing here?"

"I've come to assist, sir."

"Negative. I need you to return to your barracks and await further orders."

"I still have my arms, sir. Just give me a rifle."

The major snaps, "Return to your barracks, soldier! That's an order!"

"They're heading for the lab! We know what they're after!"

"Return to your barracks or I will have you placed under arrest, Tanner!"

"Yes, sir," Tanner bitterly leaves the room.

A spotlight from a tower shines across an open quad on base. The soldiers in the tower wait patiently, one of them armed with a grenade launcher. "There!," the soldier controlling the spotlight shines it on a running Luke Cage. A shot is fired from the grenade launcher a second later. As Cage runs, he is knocked back by a small explosion. Not far away, a pile of sandbags rest on either side of the quad, along with a mounted gun and two soldiers. To the right, they take aim at Cage as he gets up, only for Danny Rand to rise behind them and pull them down. The soldiers to the left manage to fire a few rounds, pinning Cage down as bullets bounce off his back. He leaps back up and runs toward them as another grenade explodes beside him. He makes a leap, breaking through the sandbags as he tackles the soldiers behind them. At the same time, Danny quickly climbs the tower, leaping and flipping from one beam to another. A humvee clears the bushes, landing in the center of the quad. Cage grabs a sandbag and hurls it at the vehicle, bursting it open along the windshield and cracking it. The driver, now blind, swerves to the side, giving Cage the opportunity to throw another under its front wheel. It bursts open, forcing the humvee to ramp and fall on its side. In the tower, the soldier is pulled away from the spotlight and thrown back against it, rendering him unconscious. The soldier with the grenade launcher turns just before Danny throws a punch.

In the security room, the Major shouts to his men, "We got a damn tank, let's use it!"

"The drone is approaching sir," another officer exclaims, "About five clicks."

"Give `em hell!"

Over a nearby forest, an attack drone flies over the trees, quickly approaching the base.

Tanner reaches the rear entrance to the lab. He glances around the corner, witnessing soldiers running in the opposite direction. They don't see him so he continues, taking the clearance card from around his neck and sliding it through the lock to open the door. Once inside, he stops and gazes at Burstein's vile of nanos.

Danny and Cage rush toward the barracks, entering the back room as soldiers open fire, then crouch down as some of the windows are shot out. "They're stepping up their game," Cage explains. "They know we're heading for the lab," Danny answers. Outside, the soldiers back away as the tank rolls onto the scene and takes aim at the barracks. "Smoke `im out!," the Barrington commands over the radio. The tank fires a shell into the building just as the two men glance out the windows. It explodes through the wall, sending debris and glass in every direction as Danny races in the opposite direction. Another shell explodes, sending Cage out of the room and into a hallway. Outside, the men wait patiently as the smoke clears a little. The only movement inside seem to be flames, so a captain gives a hand signal to two groups of soldiers. They enter from either entrance of the damaged building, rifles ready as they peer through the smoke and step over the debris. As one group rushes down the hall, a door slams into the face of the lead soldier, knocking him to the floor. Then, Danny leaps out from behind it, kicking the second soldier into the wall. The third takes aim but Danny does a backflip, hitting the end of his rifle and throwing it back into the man's face. On the other side of the building, another group enters through the massive hole in the wall. Cage comes out of a billow of smoke, snatches the first soldier by his kevlar vest and flips him completely with one hand, slamming him to the floor. The remaining soldiers raise their rifles, only for Cage to fling his fallen foe into them, bowling them over.

Tanner takes the vial from its display and gazes at it. In the distance, he hears explosions and gunshots which sends him back to Afghanistan one more time before he manages to clear his head. He takes no time in opening a nearby cabinet and taking a syringe. He pops the vial open and shoves the needle inside, raising the plunger and taking the contents into the syringe. He takes a deep breath, bracing himself before taking the silver syringe in his hands and shoving the needle into his thigh. He screams and doubles over as he presses his thumb against the plunger. Images of Afghanistan flood his mind. The vial and syringe drop below as he convulses violently in his wheelchair. Finally, he falls over, spilling onto the floor as he continues to spasm. His muscles begin to bulge and his veins pop until they rip his clothes open along his chest and legs. He grits his teeth as his skin takes on a pale color, then his eyes snap open as the pupils quickly dilate.

Both Danny and Cage leave the barracks and race out into the open. There, they witness the remaining soldiers falling back. "What's going on?," Danny asks. They turn, noticing the tank rolling back down the street. "They're setting us up for something big," Cage explains. The drone clears the grove of trees and flies into the middle of the base, following the pumes of smoke left by the tank attack, Danny noticing it just before it gets too close. As it approaches, it arms a single missile, ready for attack.


	13. Chapter 13

The drone flies in, ready to fire. "Move!," Danny shouts. He and Cage dive for cover just as a missile rips through the air and explodes, sending smaller miniature explosives to the ground, which also burst. The force of the explosions send both of them flying in different directions. Cage is thrown into an abandoned jeep while Danny avoids a blast, only for the force of the explosion to send him rolling along the grass. The drone swoops down and back into the air, past the flames now littering the ground. Cage and Danny regroup and watch as the drone comes back for another pass.

"It's coming back," Cage warns.

"Does that thing have a pilot?," Danny asks.

"No, it's remote controlled."

"Good… I want you to throw me."

"What?"

"Send me up there. I'll use the Iron Fist to take it out."

"You sure about that?"

"Not really but we don't have much of a choice."

"What about landing?"

"Try to aim for the rooftops."

"Yeah, wow. Okay."

The drone dips down. Danny braces himself as Cage stands behind him, "Hope you know what you're doing." The drone locks on to its two targets. Cage grabs Danny by the back of his shirt and belt and quickly spins, lifting him off the ground before launching him into the air. The drone arms itself with another missile as it prepares to fire. Danny clenches his fist, summoning a ball of chi energy. The drone drops down, flying directly for him. The Iron Fist glows even brighter as he gathers more chi energy. The nose of the drone gets closer, the missile is ready to launch, and Danny finally throws a punch once he comes within arm's reach. It connects and the entire drone explodes in a burst of flames, Cage watching with concern from the ground. Flames and broken chunks of metal drop and a moment later, Danny passes through the ball of fire unharmed, and plummets to a rooftop below. He tucks as much as possible as he rolls along the roof with the momentum carrying him all the way across. He tumbles toward the edge but eventually coming to a rest only a few inches from a long drop. What's left of the drone falls to the ground in flames while, both Danny and Cage breathe sighs of relief.

Meanwhile in the lab, Tanner stirs on the ground just below a work counter, mostly covered by the counter and shadows. A single hand rises and braces itself against it. The flesh is pale, with a slight metallic texture to it. His left leg twitches, then stirs, gradually sliding along the floor as he pulls himself up. One foot rests comfortably on the tile and from there, he finds the strength to stand and soon places the other foot beside the first. His clothes are torn in various places, exposing his new, pale, muscular body. He straightens his back, exposing himself to the light shining through a window; his face is gaunt with black, sunken eyes and dark hair. He stares at his legs which are now working perfectly and smiles but the expression quickly fades when he notices his hands and the rips in his clothes. He rushes to a nearby mirror, seeing a glimpse of his new reflection, then expression becomes more grim and he angrily smashes it.

Just outside the lab, two soldiers stand guard on either side of the front door, rifles ready. A figure smashes through the glass and metal, knocking them both to the pavement. The other soldiers turn around as they hear the noise, only for the figure to dash past them. One soldier gets a blow across the face while another is trampled underfoot. A third is tossed into the air. Tanner leaps overhead, landing on the side of a truck with enough force to topple it over on its side before he leaps away. The soldiers still standing open fire as he bounds across a rooftop.

Not far away, Danny and Cage approach the lab, ducking behind another building, "The lab should be just around the corner," Cage explains. Suddenly, they hear the sound of distance gunfire. "They're not shooting at us," Danny whispers, noticing the gunshots are going off in another direction, "What are they shooting at?". Tanner drops down from the roof and Cage notices just in time to yell, "Watch out!". Tanner lands with enough force to make a crater in the pavement and send Danny into the air. Cage throws a punch but his wrist is caught just before he is thrown into the side of the building, nearly smashing him through the wall. Tanner staggers back, getting a good look at both men as they pick themselves up. A confused look crosses his face before he turns and disappears in the shadows.

"Who the hell was that?," Danny asks as he stands to his feet.

"I dunno but this can't be good," Cage answers, "Let's get to the lab."

They round the corner and notice the over-turned truck and the damaged front door along with disoriented soldiers. A few moments later, a jeep pulls up to the lab and Major Barrington steps out to survey the mess. The soldiers who can do so, quickly salute. "That's Barrington," Danny explains. "I know," Cage responds. Barrington takes a look around before facing the next ranking officer.

"Did they take the nanobots?," Barrington asks.

"No, sir," the officer responds, "Our original targets have not been in sight."

"Then what the hell happened here?"

"A third party came out of the lab and brushed us aside, sir."

"How many were there?"

"Just one man, sir. We suspect he had a great deal of strength."

"No shit," Barrington takes a second look at the damaged truck, "So this man attacked and fled. Did you manage to get a good look at `im?"

"One of the privates saw him clearly, sir. He claims -

"Yes?"

"Our attacker appeared to be Captain Tanner, sir."

Barrington looks at the officer incredulously. Before he can explain further, the rest of the soldiers stand ready and take aim. "Enemy sighted," one of them shouts. Cage and Danny approach the lab casually as every soldier in the area train their guns on them. Barrington takes his own sidearm, shoves it at the two men and storms forward, "Under the authority of the US special forces, I place both of you under arrest!" Cage waves him off, "You got more problems than the two of us right now, Barrington. Apparently, someone else got to the nanos." "If you take another step forward, we will open fire. This is your last warning!," Barrington shouts. "And if you arrest us," Danny begins, "How will you explain to your superiors that you were in possession of stolen property or that, from all indications, one of your own men has used that property in an illegal manner and is now on the loose. Arresting us would only complicate things further. This fight is over, one way or another." Barrington hesitates for a moment, then lowers his weapon, "Stand down." His soldiers follow his orders and lower their rifles. "I recognize you, Luke Cage," Barrington explains, "But who the hell are you?," he asks as he turns to Danny. "Nevermind that now," Danny answers, "We're just as interested to know what happened here as you are."

The three men enter the lab along with a few soldiers who stand watch. The lab is cluttered with debris and some broken equipment. They soon notice Tanner's empty wheelchair laying on its side along with an equally empty vial. Cage snatches the vial off the floor and turns it over, "Yeah, that's great," he growls and throws it down. He turns away, angrily pacing back and forth while Danny and Barrington talk.

"So who do boys work for?," Barrington asks, "SHIELD? CIA? Who?"

"Just consider us free agents," Danny tells him, "Who is he?," he motions toward the wheelchair.

"Captain Mitchell Tanner," Barrington says angrily, "Mr. Cage met him briefly at Burstein's lab. He's a good man and a good soldier. He was put in that chair after a tour in Afghanistan. We were only trying to help him."

"You were trying to help yourself," Cage snaps and rushes toward him. Danny steps in front of him and subtly shakes his head. Cage says nothing as he continues to pace, fuming with rage.

"What do people like you know?," Barrington asks, "What do you know about war? About honor? Duty? You sleep safe and sound every night, taking for granted the sacrifices we make. Trying to help myself? I was trying to help our entire country!"

"I'm sure there were people willing to help you if you took the time to do things properly," Danny explains, "Tanner has the nanos now. Where do you think he is?"

"I don't know. He was instructed to stay in his barracks. I didn't expect this. He was suffering from a lack of sleep... nightmares. I guess he was more troubled than I thought."

"Now, you know why Burstein was so careful about this!," Cage says in a slightly more calm tone, "So now, not only will your people not get help... no one will!"

"Meanwhile, we have no idea where Tanner is or what sort of mental state he is in at this time," Danny continues, "On top of all that, he's obviously very powerful now."

Barrington nods bitterly, "I know I'm good and screwed. I can't hide something this big. I messed up, but just remember this,... you go after Tanner and you're in for a war. He was one of the best and now, he's one of the strongest. Quite frankly, I hope all the best for him."

"Wonderful," Cage removes his spy camera, "Now, if you don't mind, we have a job to do," and starts snapping pictures of the lab along with Danny.


	14. Chapter 14

Danny and Cage return to the clearing in the woods. Soon, the SHEILD copter arrives as promised. Danny and Cage hand their cameras over to Sitwell after he opens the side-hatch. "We got evidence," Cage tells him and then hands over the metal vial that once held the nanos, "But the nanos are gone." A few moments later, they are flying over the woods, back toward the city. "So what happened down there?," Sitwell asks.

"We failed," Cage explains bitterly, "One of Barrington's men took the nanos. Got all `roid-rage on us and ran off."

"Do you have any idea where this person is?"

"None," Danny explains, "He was pretty strong too from what little we saw of him."

"Well, with the evidence we have so far, we can probably get orders for Barrington's arrest," Sitwell explains, "Especially with an extra-normal individual loose out there somewhere. We'll need to track him down."

"I'd like to assist you if you'll still have us," Danny explains, "We don't need any loose ends here. The man could be dangerous. And if not, he likely needs our help."

"Good luck with that," Cage grumbles.

"What, you're quitting on us now?," Danny asks curiously.

"Look, I signed up to get Burstein's stuff back. We failed. It's over as far as I'm concerned. Even Barrington knows this whole thing is done. You're alright man, but I never liked working with SHIELD. If they promise to keep their end of the deal and stop spying on me and pay up, then I'm good."

"What about Mitchell Tanner?"

"If he comes after me, then I'll deal with it. As it stands, he's just some guy who wanted to walk again. I saw him in that wheelchair at Burstein's lab. He wasn't dangerous. I don't see him turning into a threat."

"Isn't it enough he's a potential threat?"

"I don't know if you noticed but we're potential threats, Danny. I'm way too strong and you can blow stuff up with your fists. We're considered threats by these people," he motions toward Sitwell, "So is Tanner. That's why they've been so interested in us."

"You realize we have extra-normal operatives in our employ," Sitwell replies.

"You mean the Avengers? They might be dense enough to follow orders from you people, but I'm not."

"This isn't over Cage," Danny tells him.

"I get the feeling it'll never be over for you, Danny. You're too uptight, man. You need to learn that you don't always gotta be the most important person in the room."

"This isn't about me. It's about making sure people are safe."

"Aren't they? The way I see it, Tanner can live the rest of his life in peace and I'll be happy. I'm done with this, man. If you had any sense, you'd be done with it too."

The helicopter silently makes its way to the city. Down below, a lone figure races through the woods. Tanner stops running and leans against a tree, watching the helicopter fly overhead. He sits down quietly and contemplates what to do next. Back at Claremont Base, Barrington sits in his office, gazing up at an American flag.

The next day, Cage is in a cafe along with Jessica Jones and Burstein. So anyway, I'm sorry I couldn't get your stuff back, Burstein," he finishes explaining. "You tried your best," Burstein reassures him.

"Wait, you're just giving up that easily?," Jessica Jones asks.

"What else can I do? I seriously doubt Tanner is the threat SHIELD makes him out to be. If I just start going after anyone with superpowers, then what kind of hypocrite would I be? If he gets out of line, I'm sure the police or someone can handle it."

"The police? Isn't this guy as strong as you?"

"Not likely," Burstein explains, "I tried not to make the same mistakes twice and took precautions. The nanos are still inside him and will ensure his body remains as impenetrable as possible, but it's unlikely he'll be as strong as Luke."

"This man is still probably unstable," Jessica shakes her head, "I think you're making a big mistake turning your back on these people."

"Hey, they've hired this other guy, too. I worked with him. He's tough. I'm sure he can handle things on his own if it gets that far."

Jessica turns to Burstein, "Is there any way to shut off the nanos inside Tanner's body?"

"Maybe. I have a program that allows me to control them from a short distance. I used it in my presentation at Rand Corps. If I made an incision in his body and enter the right command, I could get them out. From all indications, while he may not be as tough as Luke, he'll still be hard to cut."

"See? You can stop him," she turns to Cage.

"I know I can stop him if I need to. That ain't a concern of mine," he says with a smile, "None of this sat right with me from the start. I went in expecting to help Dr. Burstein out. It didn't work out that way. I failed and there was no reason to spend another minute working for people I didn't trust."

"Men," Jessica rolls her eyes, "When are you going to admit this is about more than your own personal feelings and has everything to do with your own pride?"

"What?"

"You're the big macho badass from Harlem who will always be there to protect those who can't protect themselves while sticking it to the establishment. You want to be that guy and really, you are that guy and that's why I love you... but you are so caught up in being the under dog, you can't stand putting aside your principles for a little bit. This is not about Dr. Burstein or SHEILD or Tanner. It's about you."

Cage sits in silence, contemplating her words.

Danny Rand's house. He sits on his couch along with Misty. He is in plain clothes now, his arms wrapped around her as they snuggle in. The lights are low and the TV is on but they're not watching it.

"So what happens now?," Misty asks him.

"SHIELD wants Mitchell Tanner. Once they get a good idea as to where he's hiding, they'll contact me and send me to bring him in."

"Your mission is technically over, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I mean retrieving Burstein's nanos was the mission. That didn't go the way we planned, unfortunately. Things have changed."

"How long will it take them to track this guy down? Are you gonna just keep working for them that long? You have a company to run, remember."

"I know. The board doesn't seem to care about how many hours I put in at the office so I might as well use my free time for something productive."

"Danny, this isn't just about bringing Tanner in, is it? I mean, I know he's dangerous and you want to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone but that's not all this is about."

"What do you mean?"

"Since you've come back, you've struggled to feel important. To be somebody. You're not content with what you have, so you do a few missions with SHIELD or go out on adventures."

"You're probably right... but I have to do this," he tells her, "He's out there on the loose and somebody has to bring him in. It might as well be me."


	15. Chapter 15

In Claremont Base, Barrington sits in his office. Soon, an older general enters the room along with two MP's who stand watch at either side of the door. Barrington rises ot his feet and salutes. "At ease. Go ahead and take a seat, Major," the general tells him. Barrington complies and the general begins, "I guess you know why I'm here."

"I'm to be arrested and placed in holding until my court marshaling trial."

"That's right. Now, you've done this military a lot of good, Barrington. I hate to do this but this time, you're in too much trouble for us to bail you out. This isn't some privacy breech or an unauthorized military strike against some terrorist cell no one cares about... this one is big. As always, we'll set you up with our best lawyers but it is now out of our hands."

"I understand and I accept responsibility."

"Yeah, someone should have told you not to go up against SHIELD. They're just as capable of being nseaky bastards as we are."

"I noticed," Barringotn says with a bitter smile.

"Captain Tanner reporting for duty!"

They turn and see a silohuette in the doorway. Both officers rise to their feet and the MP's stand back with guns drawn. "Tanner?," Barrington asks. Tanner steps forward in the light, revealing his new face, "The good news is, I can walk now," he says with an insane smile.

"Tanner, thank God you're back," Barrington exclaims, "Listen, I'm sorry for what happened to you but I swear, we'll find a way to fix this."

"Fix this, sir? I'm not sure I understand. You think there's a problem with me? You think something's... wrong?"

"I am no longer your commanding officer," Barrington tells him, "So I'm asking this as a friend... Stand down and let us help you."

"I'm a lot better now, Major," Tanner tells him as the MP's and the general stand in silence, "The process worked just like you wanted it to. We can get back at the people who set you up," he glances at the general, "And kill whoever gets in our way."

"No,... No, it's over, Tanner. We're finished."

"Finished? You mean we're giving up? You think we stop now?... Now?," Tanner asks coldly and then becomes enraged, "HAVE YOU GOTTEN A GOOD LOOK AT ME?"

"Captain Tanner," the general shouts, "As the highest ranking officer in this room, I order you to surrender immediately."

The two MP's cock their weapons.

"And what if I don't recognize your authority?," he hisses.

"Officers, escort this man to a holding cell," the general commands.

The two MP's approach Tanner but he throws his arms out, hurling both of them against the walls on either side of the room. Barrington leaps back in alarm as Tanner rushes forward a moment before the general is slammed through the Major's large desk, flattening it. Barrington scrambles for the dropped gun on the floor but before he can reach it, he is pulled back. A hand wraps around his throat and he is hefted itno the air by Tanner. He chokes and tries desperately to break free but Tanner holds him effortlessly.

"What's the matter, Barrington?," Tanner asks, "You wanted a Warhawk... and now you have one."

The next day, SHIELD agents lead Sitwell through the base. He enters an infirmary where he examines four bodies under sheets. He sighs and turns to the commanding officer in the room, "And Tanner's wherebouts?". The officer shakes his head, "There has been no sign of Captain Tanner." Sitwell leaves the morgue and dials a number on his phone. Danny Rand walks down the hall at Rand Corps and answers his phone once it rings, "Hello?". "Barrington is dead. They think it was probably Tanner but there's no sign of him," Sitwell tells him, "Remember, Barrington had gathered a great deal of information on you , Cage, and Burstein. If he went after Barrington, he might go after you and he has the information to find you." "Keep me posted," Danny tells him and hangs up. Sitwell dials another number, "I hope you're willing to listen to me," he says to himself. Cage answers a few seconds later, "I thought I told you people I don't wanna work with you again." "You don't," Sitwell tells him, "You may want to know that Tanner returned to Claremont Base sometime last night. He killed Barrington and there's a chance he might come after you... or Professor Burstein." Cage nods, "Understood."

Later, Cage arrives at his apartment along with Burstein. "I don't know if Tanner will really come after us or if SHIELD is just being paranoid but either way, it'd make me more at ease if I knew you were safe." Burstein sets his bags in the middle of the oom, "Well, with all the excitement lately, it's good to feel safe. I'll take the couch if that's alright with you."

"No way, professor. You got the bed. I got the couch."

"So now that Tanner might be after us, are you willing to work with SHIELD again?," Burstein asks.

"Don't need their help," he tells him, "Try to get some rest."

Danny bursts into the office of Knightwing LTD. He wastes no time in telling Misty Knight, "Get all your stuff. you're moving into my place." Misty laughs, "Wow, is our relationship getting that serious already?" Danny turns to Colleen Wing, "And you're moving in too." Misty crosses her arms, "Whoa, Mr. Hefner. Now you're just being weird."

"What's wrong, Danny?," Colleen asks.

"Tanner is out for blood. He's gonna come after me eventually. I think he might go after the two of you to get to me."

"Does he know where we are?," Misty asks.

"Barrington found out. It's a safe bet Tanner knows as well."

"How long will we be at your place?"

"As long as it takes. Tanner is unstable and we have no idea how powerful he is."

"How strong can he be?," Colleen asks as she removes the sword from her wall, "This thing can cut through steel easily enough."

"You'll probably have to put a lot more muscle behind that swing," Danny tells her, "Now, there's not much time. Let's go."

"Take it easy, Mr. Superhero," Misty gathers her things with a smile, "You want to find an excuse to have me spend the night that's fine, just don't get so pushy."

"Why do you never take these things seriously?," Colleen asks.

"Someone has to lighten the modd with you two being such downers," she tells her as they leave the office, "Y'all always got your serious faces on."


	16. Chapter 16

Back at Rand Corps, a man clad in a hooded coat enters the front lobby, moving quickly toward the elevators as he passes businessmen and women. A security guard behind the desk quickly approaches, "Excuse me, sir. Can I help you?". The man ignores him and continues to the elevator, looking at the plaque showing the names of the upper management in Rand Corps. A black glove running along Daniel Rand's name. The security guard makes his way to the figure, "Sir,... Can I help you with something? Do you have an appointment?". Mitchell Tanner turns to him, revealing his pale, metallic face, "Came to see an old friend." He backhands the guard across the entire lobby, causing a panic. More security guards race toward him, pulling their weapons before opening fire; the bullets simply bounce off Tanner's chest and force him to take a few steps back. He smiles sadistically once they empty their clips and leaps after them.

A few board directors race into Danny's office, "Danny, we have a situation in the lobby. Everyone's being escorted out." Danny sits up and races out of his office. In the hall, many office workers are headed toward the emergency stairs. "Okay everyone, stay calm," he tells them as he motions for them to move faster, "Single file. Don't push." He steps back, allowing more and more people ahead of him until he backs up all the way to his office where he quickly moves back to a locked cabinet. He unlocks and opens it, revealing his fighting gi. Outside, the rest of the building quickly evacuates out into the street. From several blocks away, police cars race to the scene. Inside, Tanner calmly steps into an elevator, presses the top floor, and waits patiently as the doors close.

Danny emerges in the hallway while wearing his K'un L'un gi. He checks the area for any signs of enemies before moving on. The hall is lined with meeting rooms and offices which are now abandoned. Silently, he moves on, keeping alert until he turns the corner,… only to see Tanner standing at the end of the hall.

"What are you doing here?," Danny asks.

"I'm after one man. Tell me where Daniel Rand is hiding and there won't be a problem."

"Let's talk instead."

"You were one of the guys who attacked my base, weren't you? Where's your friend?"

"I'm afraid I'm all there is today."

"Fighting me alone is not a good idea. I only want Daniel Rand."

"Okay, then," Danny pulls his mask off, "You've found him."

"I should've known," they begin to pace aorund one another.

"What do you want from me?"

"Your cold, dead body would be nice."

"Why do you want me dead?"

"Why did you have to complicate everything? This could've gone differently if you worked with Barrington. Figured a way to help us out."

"I tried to work with Barrington but he was unreasonable. You, on the other hand, have a chance to resolve this situation in a quiet and simple way. Give up now, and there's still a chance we can help you."

"There's no helping me. I've already taken things too far. I guess we all have."

Tanner leaps into the air, clearing the distance of the hall in one flying kick. Danny ducks and rolls underneath him, coming to a stand as he lands behind him. Tanner turns with a highkick which Danny leans back to avoid. Next, Tanner comes in close and brings his knee up. Danny blocks it, but the force of the strike lifts him into the air and sends him sailing toward a set of double doors which he bursts through, landing in the center of a large meeting room with a circular table, some shelves, and a wide window overlooking the rooftops. Danny hits the floor face-down and instinctively rolls away just before Tanner comes flying into the room, smashing his heel through the carpet. Danny rises to his feet quickly and punches Tanner but the strike only cocks his back a little. He smiles, "You're gonna need to hit harder than that." Danny leaps into the air, planting both feet against Tanner's chest, sending him back a few steps. Once he lands, he attacks again; he sprints forward and jumps, kicking Tanner in the chest and then the forehead before back-flipping onto his feet. Tanner takes a few more steps back, grabs the edge of the table, and hurls it across the room like a frisbee. Danny dashes away from it as it smashes against the wall. When he gets up, he receives a punch to the chest which sends him hurtling through the air before smashing a bookshelf behind him. Danny falls to the ground, attempting to catch his breath amidst books and shattered wood.

"I have to admit," Tanner tells him, "I've never seen anyone pull off the sort of moves you just pulled off," he squats, grabbing Danny by the throat, "It's too bad you don't have the muscle to put it to good use."

He lifts Danny by the neck, holding him up high with a psychotic smile. Danny grasps his forearms, wraps his legs around his shoulders, and twists, flipping him sideways where he is forced to let go and falls to the floor. Tanner gets up angrily and starts throwing several punches and kicks. Danny back-peddles away, dodging the attacks before Tanner finally delivers a kick that Danny is forced to block. While he does block it with his right shoulder and left palm, the force sends him sideways into the wall where he smashes partway through the plaster. He yells in pain and crumples to the floor, grabbing his now dislocated shoulder. Tanner stands over him, "So… all out of tricks, now?". Danny summons the Iron Fist and sits up, striking Tanner in the chest which sends him across the room, through the wide window, and to the streets below. Danny collapses back to the ground.

Below, Tanner groans as he sits up on a smashed police car. People gawk at him as he slides off the car and shakes his head. Two officers race onto the scene, drawing their weapons, "There he is!". He glares at them and runs down the street toward the other end of the barricade. A few bullets bounce off his back before he leaps, clearing both the barricade and the crowd behind it, disappearing from the view of the authorities. Back in the UN headquarters, Danny stands up, holding his injured shoulder before throwing his back against the wall, popping it back into place. He groans loudly and rotates his arm, making sure his injury is not serious. He pulls the mask from his face and sits back, catching his breath.

It's night time. Luke Cage's apartment. Burstein sleeps quietly on his couch. That is, until a black glove covers his mouth. His eyes snap open and the first thing he sees is the face of Tanner just before he lifts him into the air, bringing him close. "Take a good look, Burstein. See what kind of monster you're capable of creating? Why couldn't you just cooperate with us?," Tanner whispers threateningly. Before there is any sort of response, a figure leaps out of nowhere and tackles Tanner, leaving Burstein to drop safely back on the couch. A moment later, the two figures smash through the wall and plummet a few stories before hitting the sidewalk below. Luke Cage is the first to rise, "Y'know Tanner, I was just about the only person who was defending you. I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt... Believe you weren't gonna cause trouble. Maybe it was because I felt kind of a kinship with you, y'know? We both got a dose of Burstein's nanos... made us all strong and stuff. I thought you would just do you and I would just do me." Tanner stands up and smiles, "That was your mistake."

Tanner kicks Cage in the center of his chest, sending him across the sidewalk where he smashes into the wall behind him. Tanner leaps forward in a flying kick, sending Luke through the wall the rest of the way as he is thrown into the middle of his apartment lobby. The elderly security guard rises to his feet, "Are you okay, Mr. Cage?" "I'm fine, sir," he responds as he sits up on his hands and knees, "Might wanna get outta here, though." Tanner comes in from behind with an elbow drop, slamming Cage face first into the tile floor as the security guard quickly leaves the area. Tanner pulls Cage up by the back of his shirt and smashes him into the floor again. "You were Burstein's first creation," Tanner hisses, "I expected more." Cage rises up, giving him an elbow to the face which forces him to let go, "Oh, there's more." Another punch sends Tanner through the front door and into a car parked on the street. Cage leaves the building and eyes Tanner as he pulls himself out of the dented car. "Burstein tells me I got a different formula than you," Cage tells him, "According to him, I'm stronger. More durable." Tanner rips the rear door off the car and hurls it like a frisbee. Cage ducks under it, only for Tanner to race forward with a knee to his face, then a shot to his ribs and a punch across the bridge of his nose. Cage drops to the ground and is grabbed by an ankle. A moment later, he is twirled around and hurled into the damaged park car, which is knocked over on its side as Cage is spilled onto the street. "You might be stronger," Tanner growls, "But get back to me when you live through a warzone."  
Cage leaps to his feet, upper-cutting Tanner into the air. He lands on top of a newsstand down the block and completely demolishes it. Cage rushes toward him as he picks himself back up. Tanner snarls and sprints forward. The two race down the street toward one another until he throws himself into a flying knee which knocks Cage off his feet. Tanner rips a manhole out of the ground and swings it into Cage's face as he stands back up. Cage staggers back and falls. He clutches his nose and takes a look at his hand, noticing that he is now bleeding. Tanner hefts the manhole cover overhead and when he brings it down, Cage catches it in his palms and gives him a kick to the stomach which sends him flying through the wall of a store. Cage stands up and angrily tosses the cover aside. He peers into the hole in the wall, noticing that Tanner is nowhere to be found. "Christmas," he mutters to himself and wipes his nose off again.


	17. Chapter 17

The next day Cage, steps outside his apartment building (which is now being repaired) and walks until he notices a construction crew in a nearby park. He stops a bystander and asks, "Hey, what's goi'n on in the park?". The man shrugs, "I heard they're building a playground out there." Cage takes a closer look and sees a RAND CORPS. logo on the side of some equipment. He smiles thoughtfully to himself.

At Rand Corps, Danny and Agent Sitwell stand in a meeting room. "What happens now?," Danny asks.

"We have no idea where he is, making it hard to go after him," Sitwell responds, "Unfortunately, it looks as though we'll have to wait until he strikes next and hope we're there in time when it happens."

"So where will he hit next?"

"Well, if he came after you and Barrington, it's possible he might go after Luke Cage and Burstein in the near future."

"He already came after us," comes a voice from the doorway. They turn and see Luke Cage entering the room.

"What happened?," Sitwell asks.

"He got into my apartment. Tried to get Burstein but I fought him off. It was about all I managed to do."

"Well, as you can see, he left a mess here too," Danny begins, "He came here looking for me and I barely survived. We need muscle."

"And I need someone with skill," Cage sits down in a chair, "He's too strong for you and he's too tough for me. Looks like we need to do this together."

"Are you back in?"

"Yeah. I was wrong about turning my back on you people. Until we bring Tanner in, I'm working for you."

"Are you sure this time?," Sitwell asks "Because we really need some commitment here."

"Yeah, Sitwell. Yeah, I'm in. I'm here, aren't I?"

"Good. Let me just make a call," Sitwell leave the room and sighs to himself, "Superheroes".

"So I noticed your company is building a new playground in Harlem," Cage tells Danny.

"I put SHIELD's payment to some good use," Danny sits across from him.

"I guess it wasn't about the money after all," he chuckles.

Danny laughs a litte, "So what changed your mind, other than Tanner coming through your front door?"

"I realized that sometimes putting your principles aside is worth it to do the right thing. You told me that a few days ago but I didn't listen."

"Yeah, well I learned a few things from you as well. Remember when you said you weren't the only one with something to prove?"

"Yeah?"

"You were right. I've been trying to prove something. I guess we both were."

"Well... Let's go prove it then."

Meanwhile, in a dark warehouse somewhere in the New York area, black operative suits sit in a large display case along a wall. Next to the case are several rows of guns, knives, and equipment. The mercenaries who broke into Rand Corps and Burstein's house sit around a table; the leader cleans a pistol while another man assembles a rifle. Suddenly, there's a knock at the door. They glance at one another and quickly ready their weapons. Another knock comes from behind the large metal door. The mercenary leader approaches with his partner trailing behind with his rifle. The leader slides the door's small window open where he sees a figure in a hood and dark glasses.

"Who are you?," the leader asks.

"It's Mitchell Tanner. I work for Barrington. We've met."

"Wait,... Mitchell Tanner? The guy in the wheelchair?"

"I can explain. Just lemme in before someone sees me."

The leader curiously unlocks the large bolt on the door and opens it. Neither men let go of their weapons, however. Tanner steps in and removes his hood, revealing his new face. The mercenaries gape in horror. "What the hell happened to you?," the leader asks. Tanner removes his shades and smiles, "I got better."

"Wait, Barrington hired us to go after some stuff that was supposed to make you stronger... is that what happened to you?"

"It's not much of an improvement but at least I can dance," he laughs, "As for you... Ready for another mission?"

The leader shakes his head, "I don't know what Barrington wants from us but we just lost most of our guys a few nights ago, going after those damn nanobots or whatever they're called. Rumor has it, SHIELD took them. There's only the two of us left. We're laying low for now."

"What if I told you, you could get revenge on SHIELD and their little Heroes for Hire?"

"Revenge isn't profitable. We were trained by Barrington, we're loyal, but he got us in deep with this one. Let him know, there's no more missions for a while."

"Barrington's dead," Tanner says casually as he strolls across the room.

The two mercenaries look at one another, "The hell did you just say?"

"You have a lot of weapons," Tanner looks at the wall of guns, "They'll do nicely."

"Look at me!," the leader shouts as his partner backs him up, "Who killed Barrington?"

"I did."

The mercenaries start to draw their weapons but they don't get far before Tanner snatches both of them by their throats. There's a sickening snap before the men are flung across the room and into the display case.

Liu, Tanner's former girlfriend, arrives at her apartment, carrying a sack of groceries. Her phone begins to ring as she slides her key into the lock, "Gah, hang on," she mutters and manages to unlock the door and kick it open before hefting the sack higher in her arms and reaching for her phone in her purse. She enters her apartment answers the phone as she sets the groceries on her kitchen counter, "Hello?".

"Liu, it's me," Tanner's voice comes form the reciever. She practically faints upon hearing his voice, "Mitchell, where have you been?" In a remote parking lot, Tanner leans against an old payphone, once again wearing his hood and sunglasses. "I can't tell you that," he explains, "Listen, I'm sorry for everything I said the last time I saw you. I wasn't myself."

Liu sits down, "Some government agents came to my apartment, asking about you. I haven't seen you since you were in the hospital. What kind of trouble are you in?"

"I'll tell you when I see you. I'll come to your apartment tomorrow afternoon around five. Can you be there?"

"I..."

"I need to know if you can be there."

"Yes,... Yes, I'll be there. I -"

Liu begins to say something but Tanner hangs up on the other line, "Mitch... Mitch, are you there?" She sits back on her couch, contemplating the conversation for a moment before dialing the humber for police. A dispatcher answers the phone, "New York Police, what's the emergency?". Liu paces around her apartment, "Uh... My name is Liu ex-boyfriend is Mitchell Tanner. I thik he's involved in some kind of trouble and he wants to see me. I-I'm really not sure what to do." The dispatcher types the name MITCHELL TANNER into the database, "One moment ma'am." From there, the information is sent to a database at SHIELD headquarters where an agent sees the name appear on a list. He turns to his commanding officer, "Sir, Mitchell Tanner's name just appeared on a police dispatcher's screen." "Keep monitoring," he tells her and then turns to another agent sitting at a desk, "Get Sitwell on this." Moments later, Sitwell recieves a phone call, "Sitwell here," he listens intently to the person on the other line before telling them, "I'll contact them immediately."


	18. Chapter 18

Sitwell sits in the passenger seat while another agent drives a black SHIELD car; Danny and Cage are in the back. "I gotta call Burstein," Cage explains as he begins to dial the professor's number on his cellphone, "Hopefully, he has the program ready to take down Tanner." Danny takes his phone out too, "Good idea. I'll have Colleen and Misty meet him at his lab and escort him to this area."

Inside Danny's house, his phone rings. Misty sits up on the couch and answers, "Danny?".

"Misty, you and Colleen need to go to Empire State University. Get Burstein out of his lab."

"What happened to staying at your place?"

"Plans have changed. We think we know where Tanner might show up again. Me and Luke are headed there now. We need you to get Burstein and escort him to this location. I'll send the address."

"Got it. I'll get Colleen out of the dojo."

Moments later, Misty is loading her magnum outside the house. Colleen exits the front door, carrying her katanna as she hurries to the car parked nearby.

"Again, with the sword," Misty groans.

"You know how sharp this thing is. Remember the last time I used it? Remember me cutting the gun in half? Remember that little bit?," Colleen snarks.

"Yea, you've cut a lot of guns in half," Misty says as she gets ito the car, "You know our target has superhuman durability."

"Never know when it will come in handy," Colleen explains as they drive off.

Outside Liu's apartment, the black car pulls up with Cage and Danny emerging from the back; Sitwell and another agent get out of the front. "We'll keep an eye out on the ground," Sitwell tells them, "You two go upstairs and check on Ms. Thanh." They nod and quickly run into the building. Moments later, they are in Liu's apartment. She sits on her couch, sipping tea with the two men sitting opposite.

"Mitchel's a good man," she tells them, "He was so sweet," a bittersweet smiles crosses her face, "I still remember when we first met. A rainstorm hit the city out of nowhere. I had no umbrella. Then this handsome man came up and without a word, gave his umbrella to me. I tried to refuse but he told me he was military and he didn't mind the elements. I thought he was trying to hit on me but he just turned around and walked away. I was the one who ended up following him and asking for his phone number. He was so shy back then. I have no idea what he must've seen during his tours but even then, he was still shy," her tone becomes more serious, "What he went through in Afghanistan,... it changed him. He could have gotten better but instead, they turned him into..."

"I know this is hard for you, Ms. Thanh," Danny tells her, "Believe us, we've both tried to talk him down. We believe we can cure him, though. Hopefully, the old Mitchell Tanner will come back."

"I hope so," she tells him with a smile, "Do you really think I'm in trouble?"

"It's possible," Cage tells her, "So far, everytime he visits someone, he tries to kill them."

"But it doesn't make sense to kill me. I... I haven't done anything."

Danny and Cage give her an incredulous look.

"Not that the two of you did anything to him. I just... Well..."

"We know what you meant," Cage tells her with a chuckle, "We honestly don't know what he wants with you. Hopefully, he just wants to talk to you like he said."

"We just can't take the chance of something going wrong," Danny adds, "He's become increasingly aggresive and..."

Her phone rings and the room falls silent. The three look at one another before Cage nods for Liu to answer. She slowly picks up the phone and quietly says, "Mitch?". "Yeah, it's me," she hears his voice on the other end, "I take it there are a couple guys in your apartment right now, isn't there? Can you put me on speaker?". She sets the phone down and Danny and Cage lean in as they listen. "Hello, gentlemen. I knew I could count on SHIELD to have their noses to the ground. Once they had my scent, they'd send their errand boys." Across the street, on a rooftop, Tanner sits with a rocket launcher in his hands, a sniper rifle slung across his back, and a headset. "Tanner, we can -," Danny begins but he's cut off. "No more excuses!," Tanner yells, "You people need to realize what sort of monster you've created," He takes aim at the apartment and his tone changes, "Liu, ... I'm really sorry I had to involve you in all of this. I needed the bait."

"Okay, we need to get out of here now!," Cage exclaims. Danny grabs Liu by the hand and they race out of the front door. Tanner fires a rocket, letting it fly across the street and into the apartment window. Almost instantly, the rocket explodes, destroying most of the apartment. With the three of them just outside the door, they are thrown across the hallway just as the explosion rips a huge chunk out of the wall. Smoke fills the hallway as flames engulf the apartment on the otherside of the damaged wall. A fire alarm goes off and the sprinkler system sprays the fire with water. They pick themselves up and keep running as they struggle to see and breathe through the smoke and water raining down on top of them. On the ground, Sitwell and the agent pull their sidearms and turn their gazes to the rooftops for any signs of Tanner. People scramble past them on the street and some beat cops quickly respond on the scene. Danny and Cage escort Liu out of the building with Sitwell and the agent rushing to her aid. "Get her to safety," Danny tells them as they lead her away.

Tanner launches another rocket that hits a nearby car, creating a massive explosion that sends Cage into the air and eventually through a solid brick wall with great force. What is left of the car crashes to the pavement, Dany ducks down with his hands above his head, and Cage is nowhere to be seen. Sitwell and the other agent briefly stop and turn around. "Keep going," Danny warns them and they comply while carrying Liu away. Another rocket finds its way into the hole where Cage fell and a second explosion rips its way out of the other side of the building. Danny positons himself in the middle of the street while trying to look for his opponent. Tanner leaps from his perch, landing on a lower roof, not far away. There, he takes the sniper rifle from his back and takes aim at the figure in the middle of the street. With Danny now in his sights, he pulls the trigger. Danny turns his head just in time for the bullet to graze his skull just above his ear. He drops immediately. Tanner smiles with satisfaction and discards the rifle before he leaps off the roof, landing in the middle of the sidewalk with enough force to crack the pavement. He takes a look at Danny's body nearby, finding satisfaction with the bit of blood on the street. Sitwell and the agent race back onto the scene, guns drawn. Tanner turns around and sees a number of police officers coming from the opposite direction. He smirks at them and dashes into an alley. Sitwell and the posse round the corner of the alley just in time to see Tanner climbing over the ledge and onto the roof where he disappears completely.


	19. Chapter 19

The agents and officers help Danny up to his feet. He pulls off his mask, shakes his head, and rubs the bloody cut above his ear. "Are you okay?," Sitwell asks. "Yeah," Danny responds, "Just grazed me." Cage emerges from the smokey hole in the wall nearby, his shirt badly burnt and torn. He joins the others and Danny looks at him with a smirk, "Can't you ever keep your shirt on?".

Cage laughs, "You're the one with money. You should buy me a couple."

"Tanner's gone," Sitwell tells them, "We need to secure this area and search for any civilians who may have been wounded in the blasts. You two should go on ahead."

"What would be Tanner's next target?," Cage asks.

"If he thinks we're out of the picture, his next target... would be Burstein," Danny replies.

"You sent Colleen and Misty to go get him, right?"

"I don't think they'll be enough."

"Get to the university," Sitwell tells them, "We'll take care of things here and join up with you later. Good luck, gentlemen."

They nod and dash toward the SHIELD car. "I'm driving," Cage quickly shouts. "I still have trouble finding my way around New York," Danny tells him, "Of course you're driving." Cage laughs as they get into the car. A moment later, they peel out.

Misty and Colleen barge into Burstein's lab. He sits up at his desk with a curious expression, "I normally wouldn't question why a couple of beautiful ladies would come in unannounced, but since there's been a lot of excitement in my life lately, I'm going to have to assume this is not a good thing." "Professor, we need to get you out of here," Colleen warns him, "We think Mitchell Tanner is on his way here as we speak." Burstein nods, "That would not be a good thing alright," he begins to grab his laptop. "You know, we don't have much time, professor," Misty tells him as she notices him gathering his things. "We'll be needing these," he grabs an injector from a work bench and follows them out the door.

A few moments later, the three of them exit the science building. "We're parked this way," Colleen motions toward the parking lot, "We'll bring you back to -".

She is cut off when a black van screeches its tires and flies around a turn; it doesn't stop even as it sideswipes another car. Colleen and Misty stare cautiously as the van bounces over a concrete divider, flies onto the grass, and demolishes some bushes in the process. A few students throw themselves out of its path as it makes its way toward them. "We gotta go," Misty shouts as she and Colleen push Burstein to safety. The van drives over the university quad and drifts to a stop. A second later, the side hatch pops open and Tanner leaps out with two M-16's tucked under his arms. Students and faculty scream and flee the scene as he calmly strolls through the paniced crowd. Colleen and Misty dodge the fleeing bystanders and push Burstein to the parking lot, then look back to see Tanner taking aim. The few civilians left in the area flee the scene, leaving them all alone. They throw themselves behind a parked car just in time for a hailstorm of bullets to fly overhead, ripping chunks out of it and blasting out the windows. Tanner continues to walk forward as he unloads both clips into the car, a distant look on his face as he does so. The car is ripped to shreds within seconds and the three of them crawl on their bellies as they pass to another parked vehicle. Tanner continues to shoot, eventually taking out a tire and nearly putting a bullet through Misty's head. He continues to hold the triggers down until his guns click and two empty clips fall to the pavement. He frowns, drops both guns, then reaches to the back of his belt where he pulls a holstered 9mm.

"He's reloading!," Misty shouts.

"I got it," Colleen responds.

She leaps to her feet, sword in hand and hops onto the hood of the bullet-riddled car. Tanner cocks the gun and takes aim as she leaps form one hood to the next. Misty sits up and takes aim with her own magnum, firing a single shot that hits Tanner in the chest. While the bullet bounces off harmlessly, it still jerks him back, throwing off his aim as he fires a bullet into a car window. Colleen leaps into the air and swings her sword down, taking out his pistol. When she lands, she swings the sword across his face, which only turns his head. "Worth a shot," she tells herself and spins the sword around for a few more strikes. Tanner smiles and playfully raises his arms, blocking each blade stroke with his forearms. Colleen speeds up the attacks while Tanner keeps blocking; sparks soon begin to flare up with every strike. Finally, Colleen pivots on one foot, brings her katana back, and thrusts it against his abdomen. He smirks and snatches the sword: one hand on the blade and one on the hilt. Then he throws Colleen into the air where she lands on the grass. "Colleen," Misty shouts as she darts forward. Tanner turns around just in time for Misty to leap into a flying kick. She plants her foot against his chest but he does not move, forcing her to back flip. She lands and when Tanner lunges for her, she raises her gun and fires a shot into his face at point-blank range. The force of the bullet turns his head, but he quickly catches himself for balance and angrily throws a punch. Misty ducks under the swing and pivots around, putting some distance between the two of them. Colleen flips overhead, slapping her blade against the side of Tanner's face before regrouping with Misty.

"The two of you are starting to piss me off," Tanner growls.

"Okay, we're pissing him off," Misty whispers to Colleen, "Now what?"

"Not sure," she admits.


	20. Chapter 20

Tanner lunges toward Misty and Colleen while Burstein watches in horror. Suddenly, tires are heard squealing and when Tanner turns, he sees Sitwell's car hoping the curb and heading straight for him. The hood hits him in the gut and the car carries him across the lawn. He glares angrily through the windshield and sees Danny and Luke sitting inside, waving mockingly. Then Luke slams on the breaks, sending Tanner flying into a tree where he breaks a chunk off as he ricochetes. Behind him is a building being repaired, complete with scaffolding. Danny is the first to get out of the car and races to Tanner as he picks himself off the ground. He ignites the Iron Fist and upper-cuts Tanner, sending him into the air and as he drops, Danny spins, igniting his left hand with the Iron Fist and slams it into Tanner. Tanner is thrown into the building under repair, smashing through the scaffolding where several metal bars break and fall on top of him.

"He's all yours," Danny tells Cage, "I'm gonna check on the girls."

"I'll try to leave some room for you," Cage tells him and rushes in.

Danny regroups with Misty and Colleen, "You two alright?" "We're fine," Misty smirks, "We had `im right where we wanted. Almost did your job for you." Burstein catches up to them with his laptop, "Now that you're here, I can get the nanobot program up and running," he sets the laptop on the hood of a nearby car and starts his computer.

"We just need to inject Tanner with the command chip, right?," Danny asks.

"It's primed and ready," Burstein shows him the injector.

"Great. We'll keep Tanner occupied."

Tanner stands up angrily with a bar in his hand. As Cage runs toward him, he hurls the bar like a spear which he deflects with a swat of his hand. It flies through the air and embeds itself into the soft grass. Tanner tackles Cage at the waist, slamming him into the ground and as Cage falls, he rolls onto his back and kicks him off. Tanner hits the ground and Cage gives him no quarter; he jumps on top of him, snatching him by the back of his shirt and hurls him back toward the tree where he hits face-first.

Danny races toward them and as he passes the bar sticking out of the ground, he pulls it out and carries it over to Tanner. Tanner angrily takes a swing at Danny but he uses the bar to block, then holds it like a staff and swings it back and forth, hitting Tanner from both ends before jabbing it into his ribs. Tanner stumbles back and Cage comes in from behind to put him in a full-nelson hold, but Tanner angrily stoops over, flipping Cage onto the ground. Danny swings the bar across his face, spinning him around to be set up for a punch from Cage. Danny thrusts the bar into the ground and pinwheels around, kicking Tanner with both feet. Then Cage comes in with a close-line, knocking him to the ground.

Meanwhile, Burstein gets the nano program up and running, "It's ready."

"How the hell can we inject the chip into him, though?," Colleen asks.

Burstein notices her katana on the ground, "Your sword."

"He's too tough to cut," Misty tells him.

"That depends on the strength of the person swinging it," he motions toward Tanner's current opponent.

Cage punches Tanner, spinning him around again. Danny begins to take a swing with the bar but he quickly grabs it, "That'll be enough of that," he growls before hurling Danny into the air. Cage puts Tanner into a bear hug, "This has got to stop, Tanner. Let's say you somehow manage to kill us both and then get Burstein. What happens then, huh? Where does it end?". Tanner grits his teeth, "It won't end. You people are just the beginning. I'm going after the entire system. My enemies are everywhere!" He takes a giant leap, bringing Cage with him. As he lands, he flips over onto his back, slamming Cage into the ground and forces him to let go, then Tanner gives him a few elbows to the ribs before getting up.

Colleen and Misty race onto the scene, Colleen carrying her sword. "Told you the sword was useful," she says as they run. "Yeah, yeah," Misty responds. Tanner stands up just as Danny leaps forward, summoning the Iron Fist again. Cage likewise rises to his feet and pulls back for a punch. Both he and Danny take a swing simultaneously, slamming their fists into Tanner's jaw. He is hurled high into the air and when he lands, he makes a large crater in the ground. "Cage," Colleen tosses her sword to him and he catches it. "Danny," Misty throws Burstein's injector to him and he likewise catches it. Meanwhile, Burstein waits for the right moment. "You should be strong enough to make that sword useful," Colleen tells Cage, "We can inject the chip into him after that."

Tanner's eyes snap open. As the two men approach, he leaps to his feet and bounds toward the library where he jumps to the second floor window and smashes his way through. "Great," Cage mumbles and they quickly run inside. They race up the stairs to the second floor and soon enter a room full of bookshelves. They glance at each other as they silently move along the rows of shelves, patiently looking for their foe. A metallic hand pushes against a shelf and tips it over. The shelf falls into the next shelf, getting the attention of Danny and Cage. The next shelf falls, creating a domino effect as more and more shelves tip over, spiling hundreds of books on the floor. Danny and Cage split up to avoid the the last shelf. Cage moves toward the wall, only for Tanner to fly in and tackle him, smashing him through the plaster where he hits the floor in the next room, forcing him to drop Colleen's sword. Cage pushes him off and punches him hard to enough to send him smashing into the cieling and as he drops back down, he rolls out of the way in order to allow him to faceplant into the tile. Cage crowls over to the sword, hefts into his hands, and takes a wild swing as Tanner comes at him. He staggers back and painfully grips his shoulder which is now cut. They both stare at the black blood that drips down his arm, "Yeah, that's right," Cage smirks.

Tanner turns and sprints toward the window. He leaps through, falling toward the first floor window in the adjacent building which he also smashes through and leaps to his feet. He backs away, looking back at the broken window for any sign of Cage following him. His gaze turns to an expression of curiosity as he notices his enemies are no longer following him. With his attention diverted, Danny Rand rises behind him and quickly thrusts the injector into the cut on his shoulder. Tanner turns around, slapping the injector into scrap that breaks against the wall.

"What did do to me?," Tanners screams.

"It had to be done, Mitchell," Danny tells him.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?," Tanner shouts again and bolts out the door.

He runs back onto the lawn, catching the attention of the three people in the parking lot. "Burstein, now!," Misty yells. Burstein types quickly and hits the enter key. As Tanner runs, his legs begin to give out, which slows him down, making his steps more clumsy. His expression turns to concern as his legs seemingly grow weaker. Soon, he drops to his knees but that doesn't stop him. He struggles to keep going, crawling on his hands before his arms give out too and he flops onto his back. Cage and Danny exit the building and slowly approach while Misty, Colleen, and Burstein watch from afar. Tanner grunts and twitches as his body begins to regress back to its original state. Sitwell and a few agents finally arrive on the scene to see Tanner's metallic skin shrink and lose its color. Tanner's muscles rapidly disappear and his eyes return to normal. He tries his best to crawl away but he doesn't get far. He looks back at his legs which don't move. He furiously grabs his knees and tries to pull himself along but quickly comes to the reality he has lost all his power. Defeated, he closes his eyes, and lies back as Danny, Cage, and the agents surround him.


	21. Chapter 21

Later, SHIELD agents push Tanner in a wheelchair toward an awaiting van, Tanner with a glazed expression. Danny and Cage watch him go along with Colleen, Misty, and Burstein. "It really is a shame," Cage admits, "He wasn't a villain. He was just a product of villains." Danny nods, "Worse yet, those villains were the ones supposedly keeping us safe." Sitwell shows up, "Well fellas, there are still some people in authority who are looking out for you."

"You mean the guys spying on us?," Cage turns to him with a serious expression that gradually turns more friendly, "You people are alright. You stick your noses where it don't belong sometimes but you have your moments."

Sitwell shakes his hand, "We also keep our word. No more spying on you or Mr. Rand."

"Then we're straight."

"And we'll be sending our final payment in the mail," Sitwell further explains.

"Even better. Now I can pay my rent."

"So what's going to happen to Tanner?," Danny asks as he watches the van drive away.

"Once we turn him over to a military tribunal, it's out of our hands," Sitwell explains, "But we are working on finding ways to make sure these sort of things won't happen again. Hopefully, Professor Burstein, you'll be able to continue your research in peace."

"I'm sure no one will bother me now that my nano research has mostly been destroyed," Burstein explains, "The nanobots Tanner took were the last I had and I won't have the funding to make more for some time now."

"That's not true," Danny tells him, "My company may not be interested in medical research at the moment but that doesn't stop me from lending funds from my own pocket."

"That'll be wonderful, Mr. Rand," Burstein gladly shakes Danny's hand, "Thank you."

"Danny, you said your company isn't interested in medical research," Cage explains, "Would they be interested in a different kind of investment?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm looking to expand my business a little. Thought you might be interested in a merger."

"You want to put your business under Rand Corps' umbrella? I didn't think you were the type to trust big corporations."

"I have this month's rent covered. Next month... I'm not so sure," Cage laughs, "Besides, I've heard the CEO isn't too bad of a guy."

Danny smiles and nods, "Well, the board's bound to accept one of my proposals eventually. Deal."

They shake hands. A week later, Danny is presenting Cage in front of the board. "Heroes For Hire will be an assest to our company both financialy and publicly," Danny tells them, "With the recent surge of interest in superheroes, it is a logical choice." After the meeting, the board shake hands with Danny and Cage. "Great presentation, Daniel," the chairman tells him. "Thank you, sir," Danny says with a smile as he moves to Luke.

"We've decided to let you on board, Mr. Cage," the chairman says gladly, "Welcome to the company."

Cage smiles, "It's good to be here."

Danny pats him on the back, "This calls for a celebration."

Cage nods, "Yeah, but we're eating at my place. We're having barbeque, none of that caviar or whatever you rich folks eat."

As they exit the room, Danny informs him, "I've never even had caviar."

Outside Cage's house, he cooks burgers on a grill, "Who likes `em well done". Colleen Wing looks at her over-cooked burger, "I thought they were all well done." Around the table, Misty, Colleen, Burstein, and Jessica Jones sit and wait for Cage to bring over a plate of burgers.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Rand," Jessica shakes his hand.

"Call me Danny," he tells her.

"I know we're at dinner here but do you mind if I get an interview sometime?," she asks.

"Sure," he responds.

Misty bumps him with her shoulder, "Look at you, making bank and getting interviews."

Cage sits down next Jessica and kisses her, "Not a bad double date we got here, I guess."

"Mind if I have seconds?," Burstein asks.

"Sure," Cage piles another burger on his plate.

"HEY CAGE!," the discussion is broken when they hear a shout from across the street. They all turn to see a large gang of young men with baseball bats, tire irons, and other weapons. A familiar gang leader stands in front of them, "We ain't forgot `bout you, man!" Cage notices the black spade tattoos under their eyes and immediately identifies them as the gang he ran into a few weeks prior when he was hired to find Reggie Gardner. "Man, can't it wait?," Cage asks as he motions toward his plate of food, "I got company and we're having dinner." Danny smiles and stands up, "I got this, Luke." He steps toward the young men and stands still with his hands at his side. "Whatchoo want, Ryan Seacrest?," the gang leader snarls. Danny clenches his hand and summons the Iron Fist, allowing it to glow brightly. The gang jump back all at once and begin falling over one another as they scramble and eventually run away.

"Why you always gotta show off?," Cage laughs. Danny simply shrugs as he takes his seat. They all go back to their meals and conversations. Meanwhile, the sun sets over Harlem.

END


End file.
